JPS5880527A - Tank unit for fuel tank - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tank unit for a fuel tank comprising an electrical circuit suitable for supplying a variable output for a fuel gauge indicating a rail flow of fuel.

The fuel level is detected by a float carried on a movable float arm, and by movement of the float arm,
The output signal is varied appropriately.

An example of such a tank unit is disclosed in Patent No. 941,363 of the present applicant. It generally consists of a fixed number of standard parts, depending on the application for the particular vehicle and tank.

These parts consist of a metal top plate, a bracket for mounting the electrical circuit, usually consisting of a potentiometer housed in a metal housing, away from the tank, and a bracket for mounting the electrical circuit, usually consisting of a potentiometer housed in a metal housing, above and below to correspond to the highest and lowest levels of the tank. A flow door arm is pivoted to the housing so as to swing in an arc between stopper protrusions protruding from the housing at appropriate intervals, and a potentiometer is moved in response to the arcuate movement of the float arm. The sliding member is connected to the float arm so as to rotate so as to slide so as to change the output, and the top plate is insulated and sealed so as to appropriately configure an electric circuit. One or more terminals, etc.

In some cases, the outer end of the part of the fuel supply pipe, usually made of metal, that protrudes into the tank in the tank unit (the inner fuel supply pipe) penetrates the top plate and is welded or otherwise Preferably, the outer end is provided with an annular projection or the like and is bent in some way so as to be sealed and fixed and to facilitate connection with an outer fuel supply line. In this case, the bracket can be omitted and the electric circuit can be attached to the outer fuel supply conduit.

However, such a known tank unit has a pivot point,
The interval between the stopper protrusions, the direction in which the float arm extends, etc. must be carefully selected depending on the specific usage. As a result, there is a drawback in that it requires a great deal of effort and time to assemble standard parts.

In view of these drawbacks, the main object of the present invention is to provide a tank unit tf which is largely made of plastic material and is adaptable to a wide range of vehicle and other tanks.

According to the present invention, the above objects include a float supported by a movable float arm, a top plate for mounting, and an electrical circuit, the movement of said float arm indicating a fuel level to said electrical circuit. A tank unit for a fuel tank configured to generate an output signal, wherein the top plate is formed by integral molding and has an annular shape for fitting a fitting for a supply or return pipe. at least one projection, the annular projection defining a hole through the top plate and surrounded by a concentric cylindrical sleeve, the inner surface of the sleeve and the plug portion of the fitting The plug part of the joint is press-fitted into the protrusion and engaged with the inner surface of the sleeve, thereby engaging the plug part of the joint with the protrusion. It is designed so that it can be worn
and by providing a tank unit in which both said serrated sections are configured to prevent release of said plug.

Also, the angle at which the joint becomes the external fuel pipe, preferably 9
By having an annular projection to enable connection at a 0 degree angle, prior to assembly, the fitting is oriented in a radial direction that is convenient for connecting all of the corresponding fuel pipes. and the cooperating serrations of the plug and sleeve may be configured to prevent rotation of the coupling once assembled.

This invention. Ela, another. It's a feature. Ba-II! LL/-
On one side of the part on which thujone is to be carved, serrations are formed by closely carving a large number of parallel grooves inclined in one direction, and on the part on which the serrations are to be carved. According to yet another patent of the present invention, the serrations are formed by carving a spiral groove with a small lead angle on the other side of the serration. The inner surface of the sleeve is formed using a core consonant with a spiral strip carved into it, and the core is
The grooves, which can be pulled out after molding and are carved parallel and closely, are molded using a two-part mold.

According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the pitch of the helical thread X
is 1.0 Ayu, the inclination angle α of the upward slope toward the inside thereof is approximately 30 degrees, and the inclination angle θ of the upward slope toward the base end of the parallel groove is approximately 45 degrees. .

Further, it is preferable that the top plate and the main body are manufactured by molding them into one piece. □ According to yet another feature of the present invention, the main body of the tank unit can be integrally molded, and the structure is such that the camo float arm can be pivotally supported on the main body via the float arm holder. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In Figure 1, the main parts that make up the tank unit are the main body (1), the top plate (2), the fuel supply and return pipe joint (3), the float arm (4), and the float arm holder. body (5), a thick film circuit board (6), and a contact (7a) for sliding on an electrical resistance track (24) attached to the circuit board? It has a slider (7).

In this embodiment, the main body (1) and the top plate (2) are integrally molded from a suitable hard plastic material that is not corroded by fuel. If this unit is to be used in a gasoline tank, acetal is a suitable plastic material. The molds for molding these parts may be designed according to known techniques, especially in relation to the parting lines and core parts.

In particular, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, the integrally molded main body (1) consists of a box-shaped casing (8
), and its bottom plate (9) is formed with a rectangular support surface (sum) on which the thick film circuit board (6) stands upright, and there are two support surfaces for fully securing the circuit board (6). A locking projection (11) is provided on the side walls (12), (13), and a flexible locking member (14) in the form of a generally U-shaped metal is provided on the lower end wall (15).

These locking protrusions (11) and locking members (14) are arranged so that when assembled, the circuit board (6) is supported by coming into contact with the support surface (10) and the positioning surfaces (a) and (b). It is located in

The side walls (13) define a central space with inwardly extending walls (16), (17) connected by a reduced height side wall section (18).

The height of the side wall (18) and the boss (19) are: Since the flow door is low, a gap is provided for attaching the flow door λ (4) via its support (5), as will be described later.

On the top surface of the top plate (2), there are two pairs of terminals (22), (22 terminals, and (23)).

(23") 'A terminal housing (2) is provided. These terminals (22), (22'), (
23) and (23') are placed in the mold prior to the molding process, so that they are fixed at the same time as the terminal housing (2) is molded.

The terminal (22) serves as a ground terminal and also serves as a ground terminal.
Terminal a) is a terminal that can be used to connect the fuel pump.

Terminal (23) is for the fuel gauge and terminal (23) is for the fuel gauge.
3a) is for a fuel out warning device provided on the thick film circuit board (6).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the terminal (23)
, (23a) are connected to the support surface (10) of the main body (1).
), in which a protruding piece (25) is formed which serves as a locking member to provide good contact and aid in the positioning of the circuit board (6). .

This protruding piece (25) will eventually be soldered to the electrical resistance track (24) forming the corresponding potentiometer.

On the top of the ceiling (2) are the supply pipe and return pipe fittings (3).
Two upright annular projections (26), (27) for mounting
) is formed. Holes (2B) and (29) passing through the top plate are bored inside each annular projection, respectively.

The hole (28) opens coaxially toward another hole (28a) of larger diameter drilled in the boss (1a) that is integral with the main body (1) - this larger diameter hole (28) The hole (2sa) is
This is to fit and hold the proximal end of the inner fuel supply pipe (30) (Fig. 2), which has a filter (+Oa) attached to its free end.

Each of the annular protrusions is concentrically surrounded by a cylindrical sleeve (31) with a circular cross section that stands upright on the top surface of the top plate, and a portion (32) of the inner surface of each sleeve is provided with a cylindrical sleeve (31) having a relative pattern lead angle. It is carved with small spiral grooves.

As shown in detail in Figure 4a, the pitch X of this spiral is preferably 1.00 m, and the angle α of the slope of its inwardly ascending slope is preferably approximately 60 degrees.

By making the serrations consist of spiral grooves,
The core member, which has a suitable shape and has a spiral groove carved therein, used during molding, can be immediately pulled out after molding is completed.

Next, in FIGS. 1 and 3, each annular projection is a pipe joint (
3) Each 3° fitting is designed to fit (3)
The annular plug (33) has a serrated portion on its outer surface.

The serrations in this case may be formed by carving a large number of mutually parallel grooves that can be molded with an ordinary two-part mold, and in the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 4b, the width of the grooves is is 0.50 mm, and the groove pitch is 1.00 m.
m, and the angle of the slope of the groove facing inward is about 45 degrees.

As shown in Figure 3, the plug portion (63) of the hole (65)
are respectively associated with the stepped portions of the corresponding annular protrusions (26) and (27) so that the O-ring seal (36) can be fitted therein.

Thus, the annular projections (26), (27) and the joint (3)
By appropriately setting the diameters of the serrated portions (32) and (34), these can be tightly fitted.

However, although it is easy to push the serrated parts into each other, the angles of the opposing slopes of each groove are adjusted so that once they are pushed in, they will not separate easily.
By setting α and θ, respectively, it is easy to assemble the joint (3).

Once assembled, both serrations are firmly attached to each other and are well sealed by the seal (66).

In this way, both serrations are firmly engaged with each other, so that there is no risk of the seal being broken if the joint is subsequently disengaged.

Experiments have confirmed that this cohesive state is extremely strong.

Each fitting (3) is provided with an annular projection (37) for connecting external supply and return pipes (not shown) at an angle of 90 degrees to the plug (33). . Therefore, depending on the location of the external supply and return pipes, each pipe fitting (3) should be fitted with its annular protrusion (37) before assembly.
are oriented in the most appropriate radial direction.

According to experiments, it has been found that serrations (32) and (34) provided on the annular projection and the plug, respectively, are also effective in preventing rotation of the joint once connected.

In FIG. 1, a float arm (4) is assembled using a float arm support (5).

The support (5) has two parallel arms (39), (4'0)
(approximately U-shaped bracket of plastic kesa) (
38) 'i have. Both arms are provided with holes (41) and (41') coaxial with each other. The hole (41) is connected to a slot (42) forming a structure for preventing release.

On the outer surface of the arm (40), there are protrusions (43) and (4), respectively.
(4) each having a hole (45) and a corresponding structure to prevent release) (46)
is drilled.

In particular, as shown in Figure 5b, the float arm (4)
It is bent at an angle of 90 degrees to form a pivot (47)', and when assembled, the float arm support (5) has holes in its arms C'59) and (40). (2
The main body (1) is mounted on the boss (49) so as to be coaxial with the main body (1).

A contact (7) having one hole (48) is installed between the face of the boss (19) and the arm (40),
Moreover, the hole (48) is similar to the holes (41') and (45).
It is consistent with

1 and 5b, it can be seen that the ground electrode (49) extending from the ground terminal (22) is in contact with the contactor (7).

The pivot (47) of the arm (4) is fitted into the hole and cavity, and as described above, the two protrusions (43), (4
4) is engaged with a selected hole (45).

As shown in Figure 5a, the float arm (4), with its pivot (47) and support (5), crosses the surface of the body (1) and is cut into the side wall (12) of the body. It is pivoted so as to pass through the notch.

As shown in FIG. 2, with an inclined upper stop surface (51) for defining the reference position of the float arm (4) corresponding to the full liquid level of the tank;
The short length notch (50)'i can be preformed.

The lower end of the notch may be appropriately notched to provide a suitable lower stop surface to suit the particular tank and vehicle combination.

In this way, the lower stop surface defines the following position, which corresponds to the level when the tank is empty, which the float arm (4) can reach in an arcuate trajectory from its reference position: be done.

According to the configuration described above, the notch (SO) can be easily cut for a specific combination of vehicle and tank by supplying tank units as a certain number of lots to a numerically controlled cutting device. I understand.

Depending on the change in the level of fuel in the tank, the float arm (4) traces an arcuate trajectory (Fig. 5a) in the range of angle β, and at the same time the contactor (7) moves against the resistance of the circuit board (6). A corresponding sliding movement is carried out on the track (24). As a result, the electrical signal sent to the vehicle's fuel gauge changes accordingly.

An example of a suitable sensor unit comprising a contact assembly and a thick film resistive circuit board is described in detail in a commonly assigned British patent application filed on the same date as this application.

As mentioned above, the reference position of the float arm (4),
and the angle at which the float arm swings between levels corresponding to the full and empty states of the fuel tank will depend on the shape of the tank, whether the tank unit is added to the top of the tank, or attached to the side, etc. It changes accordingly.

The tank having the above-mentioned structure has a projection (43) 5 (4) for engaging the float arm (4).
4) By appropriately selecting the wall surface (12) and cutting out the wall surface (12) as appropriate, it is possible to adapt it to as diverse a range of applications as possible.

To enable such wide adaptability, slots (
52) (Fig. 1), the side wall (12
) to define a reference position when the float arm is mounted on the projection (44).

Particularly if the float arm (4) is installed in this position, the end wall (15) may also be cut out at least in part so as to define the position of the lower stop face (56) of said arm. Sometimes it is necessary to leave it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the main parts of the tank unit. Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the main body taken along the line ■-■ in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a 4a and 4b are detailed longitudinal cross-sectional views showing the configuration for connecting the return pipe, respectively, showing the retaining portion having a release prevention function in the configuration of the joint portion shown in FIG. 3. The enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b are a partial side view and a partial vertical cross-section of the float arm attached to the main body, respectively. (1) Main body (1a) Boss (2) Top plate (3) Joint (4) Float arm (5) Support (6) Circuit board (7) Contact (7a) Contact (8) Casing (9)
) Bottom plate (10) Support surface (11) Attachment protrusion (12), (15) Side wall (14) Attachment member (15) End wall (16), (17) Wall
(18) Side wall (19) Boss (2o) Hole (21) Terminal...Using (22), (22a), (23), (23a) Terminal (2
4) Resistance track (25) Projecting pieces (26), (27
) Protrusion (2B), (28a), (29) Hole (30) Inner fuel supply pipe (30a) Filter (31) Sleeve (32) Part (66) Plug (3
4) Part (35) Hole (36) Seal (
67) Annular projection (68) Bracket (39),
(40) Arm (41), (41') Hole (42) Slot (,43), (44) Projection (45)
Hole (46) Slot (47) Pivot
(48) Hole

Claims (1)

[Claims] C1) A float supported by a movable float arm. A tank unit for a fuel tank, comprising a top plate for mounting and an electric circuit, and configured to generate an output signal indicating a fuel level in the electric circuit in accordance with the movement of the float arm, The top plate is formed by integral molding, and has at least one annular protrusion for fitting a joint for a supply or return pipe, and the annular protrusion penetrates the top plate. a hole defined by a concentric cylindrical sleeve, the sleeve having a serrated portion on an inner surface of the sleeve and an outer surface of a plug portion of the fitting; The plug portion of the joint can be engaged with the projection by press-fitting the plug portion of the joint into the projection and engaging with the inner surface of the sleeve, and the serrations are carved. A tank unit characterized in that both sections are configured to prevent release of the plug. (2) The fitting connects at an angle to form the external fuel pipe.
By having an annular protrusion for coupling, prior to assembly, the coupling can be oriented in a certain radial direction that is most convenient for coupling the corresponding external fuel pipes. As well as,
Claim 1, characterized in that the cooperating selenium parts of the plug and the sleeve are arranged to prevent rotation of the coupling once assembled. tank unit. (6) On one side of the part where the serrations are to be carved,
Parallel #4f inclined in one direction: Serrations are formed by carving a large number of them closely together, and the other side of the part where the serrations should be carved has a spiral groove with a small lead angle. The tank unit 1 according to claim (1) or (2), characterized in that serrations are formed by carving, (4) a spiral having a small lead angle; The inner surface of a cylindrical sleeve with a circular cross section is formed using a core in which spiral stripes are engraved, and the core can be pulled out after being formed, and has many parallel grooves in close contact with each other. 3. The tank unit according to claim 3, wherein the portion engraved as a cylindrical portion is molded using a two-part mold. (5) The pitch X of the spiral strip is 1.0 mm, the inclination angle α of the upward slope toward the inside is approximately 60 degrees, and the inclination angle ■ of the upward slope toward the base end of the parallel groove is approximately 45 degrees.
The tank unit according to claim (3) or (4), characterized in that the tank unit is 100%. (6) The tank according to any one of claims (1) to (5), wherein the plug portion of the joint is sealed against the protrusion by a seal ring. unit. (7) The tank unit according to any one of claims (1) to (6), wherein the top plate and the main body are integrally formed.