JPS6334314B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a fuel consumption measuring device for an engine such as a vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, as a fuel consumption measuring device for a vehicle engine, one having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is known. This device includes a fuel supply line ₂ that connects fuel purified by a strainer S from a fuel tank 1 via a flowmeter M1 by a fuel pump FP to a fuel consumption part E of the engine such as an engine carburetor or injection pump; It is composed of each part of this fuel consumption part E and an oil return line 4 equipped with a flow meter M ₂ for returning unconsumed fuel bypassed from the strainer S through the check valve 3 into the fuel tank 1. has been done. Then, the difference between the measured values of the flowmeter M ₁ measured in the fuel supply line 2 and the flowmeter M ₂ measured in the oil return line 4 is indicated by the meter 5 as a desired fuel consumption measurement amount.

However, such a fuel consumption measuring device has many drawbacks as shown below.

In other words, two flowmeters are used, one on the refueling side and one on the return side, and the actual fuel consumption is determined by the difference between the measured values of these flowmeters, so the error of each flowmeter is added to the measured value. Furthermore, since a large flow rate is measured relative to the amount of fuel consumed, this results in a relatively large error rate. Furthermore, vapor is contained in the fuel due to the high heat in the fuel consumption section E, and this is measured by the return side flowmeter _M2 , which inconveniently increases the measurement error even further.

On the other hand, there is an uneconomical need for two flowmeters with a larger flow rate range than the actually required fuel consumption flow rate range.

This invention was made by focusing on the above-mentioned points, and the flow meter can be used only by interposing it in the oil supply line, eliminating measurement errors caused by multiple uses, improving accuracy, and improving the accuracy of the flow meter. An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel consumption measuring device for an engine such as a vehicle, which can reduce costs by significantly reducing the use of fuel, and can have a small and compact overall configuration.

Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Components that are the same as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 2 has a configuration in which a circulation line 6 corresponding to the oil return line 4 in the conventional example shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the inlet side of the oil supply pump FP provided in the oil supply line 2. Therefore, only one flowmeter M is installed in the oil supply line 2. _S2 is a strainer installed in the fuel supply line 2 near the outlet of the fuel tank 1.

The operation of this invention will be explained based on the above configuration. Fuel supplied to the fuel consumption part E is supplied from the fuel tank 1 through the flow meter M to the fuel consumption part E through the fuel supply line 2 by the action of the fuel supply pump FP.

This fuel consumption part E corresponds to the carburetor in a gasoline engine and the injection pump in a diesel engine, so the excess fuel is in a high temperature state, so the fuel contains vapor. .

However, since the circulation line 6 of this high-temperature fuel containing vapor is connected to the fuel supply line 2 on the inlet side of the fuel pump FP, this unconsumed excess fuel is mainly supplied by the fuel pump FP, resulting in fuel consumption. Since the fuel is supplied to the fuel consumption section E, the amount of fuel newly supplied via the fuel supply line 2 is never greater than that consumed by the fuel consumption section E.

Therefore, the vapor-containing unconsumed fuel in the circulation line 6 becomes a kind of dead stock and circulates in a substantially constant amount, and the fuel consumption in the fuel consumption section E is compensated exclusively by the supply of fuel from the fuel tank 1. Therefore, the value displayed on meter 5 of flowmeter M corresponds to fuel consumption.

Since this fuel consumption amount is measured by the measurement value of a single flow meter M, it is possible to measure the consumption amount accurately without any error, and the configuration can be greatly simplified. Note that the oil supply pump FP is a mechanical pump to which rotational force is applied by a camshaft of an engine or the like, as in the prior art.

Next, a second embodiment of this invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The configuration of the fuel tank 1, fuel supply line 2, flow meter M, fuel pump FP, strainers S, S ₂ , fuel consumption section E, bypass line with check valve 3, etc. is exactly the same as shown in FIG. 2. . In this embodiment, special consideration is given to the structure corresponding to the circulation line 6 shown in FIG. That is, a gas-liquid separation tank 8 is provided in the surplus fuel line 7 on the secondary side to remove the vapor in the unconsumed fuel, and the vapor is sent to the fuel tank 1 via the vapor return line 9.
The unconsumed fuel from which vapor has been separated and removed is supplied to the fuel consumption section E by the fuel pump FP again via a return line 10 that communicates with the fuel supply line 2 at the inlet side of the fuel pump FP.

Thus, the gas-liquid separation tank 8 has a structure in which the end of the surplus fuel line 7 is connected to one side and can store unconsumed fuel supplied from this line 7, and the partition wall 11 is erected to form two chambers 12 and 12. In order to completely remove the vapor in the unconsumed fuel, the fuel that has overflowed the partition wall 11 and has no vapor content is transferred from the chamber 12 to the adjacent chamber 13, and the return flow has one end facing this chamber 13. A check valve 14 is connected to the line 10 so that unconsumed fuel can be reused. Further, a float valve 15 that floats on the fuel and moves up and down depending on the amount of fuel is arranged in the chamber 13, and opens and closes the base end opening 16 of the vapor return line 9 to lower the vapor pressure to lower the fuel level. When activated, the float valve 15 descends, opens the opening 16, and allows vapor to be led out to the fuel tank 1 via the vapor return line 9.

In addition, in FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 17 is a check valve provided in the oil supply line 2 on the inlet side of the flowmeter M, and 18 is a check valve that allows the oil supply line 2 to flow when the flowmeter M becomes inoperable. This is a bypass line with a check valve 19.

The action will be explained based on the above structure.

The fuel supplied to the fuel consumption part E is supplied by the fuel pump F.
Check valve 1 from fuel tank 1 due to the action of P.
7. The fuel is supplied to the fuel consumption part E through the flowmeter M and through the fuel supply line 2.

This fuel consumption part E corresponds to the carburetor in a gasoline engine and the injection pump in a diesel engine, so the unconsumed excess fuel is at a high temperature.
The fuel contains vapor. However, the fuel containing this vapor is once sent and stored in the gas-liquid separation tank 8 via the surplus fuel line 7, and the vapor is vaporized in the gas-liquid separation tank 8 to perform gas-liquid separation. The return line 10 reaches a normal fuel state without any vapor mixed in, and can be supplied to the fuel consumption section E again by the action of the fuel pump FP.

Note that the surplus fuel supplied from this return line 10 is consumed more than the new fuel supplied from the fuel supply line 2, and moreover, the amount of surplus fuel supplied from the fuel consumption section E is never supplied. do not have.

Therefore, the surplus unconsumed fuel in the surplus fuel line 7, gas-liquid separation tank 8, and return line 10 becomes a kind of dead stock and circulates in a substantially constant amount, and the fuel consumed in the fuel consumption section E is Since the fuel is supplied exclusively from the fuel tank 1, the value displayed on the meter 5 of the flowmeter M corresponds to the amount of fuel consumed.

Since the present invention exhibits the above-described structure and operation, the fuel consumption in the engines of various vehicles can be accurately measured with a single flowmeter, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced and miniaturized, while also being easy to use. When a liquid separation tank is installed, vapor is not mixed in when unconsumed fuel is reused, so the fuel supply pump is not strained and the fuel can be supplied uniformly.

In addition, it can be installed in various types of automobiles to improve the relationship between engine fuel consumption and mileage, thereby saving fuel consumption, and can also be used as a reference for assessing bus fares.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional fuel consumption measuring device, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are block diagrams showing two embodiments of the fuel consumption measuring device for an engine such as a vehicle according to the present invention. . 1...Fuel tank, 2...Refueling line, 6...
Circulation line, 7... Surplus fuel line, 8... Gas-liquid separation tank, 9... Vapor return line, 10...
...return line, M...flow meter, E...fuel consumption section, FP...fuel pump.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A fuel tank, a fuel pump that pumps fuel supplied from the fuel tank to a fuel consumption section, a fuel consumption section that consumes the fuel pumped from the fuel pump, and a fuel consumption section in the fuel consumption section. A check valve that includes a flow meter that measures consumed fuel, has a bypass flow path that bypasses excess fuel consumed in the fuel pump and the fuel consumption section, and circulates in the direction in which fuel is supplied. forming a closed loop comprising;
A fuel consumption measuring device for an engine such as a vehicle, characterized in that a flow meter is connected to a fuel pump by communicating with a fuel tank via a check valve. 2. A fuel tank, a fuel pump that pumps fuel supplied from the fuel tank to a fuel consumption section, a fuel consumption section that consumes the fuel pumped from the fuel pump, and a flow rate that measures the consumed fuel in the fuel consumption section. and a fuel supply pump and a fuel consumption part to form a closed loop having a bypass flow path that bypasses excess fuel consumed in the fuel consumption part and a check valve that circulates in the direction of supplying fuel. death,
A flow meter is connected to the fuel pump by communicating with the fuel tank via a check valve, and a gas-liquid separator is interposed in the return path leading to the fuel consumption section and the fuel pump, and the gas-liquid separator and A fuel consumption measuring device for an engine such as a vehicle, characterized by communicating with a fuel pump through a vapor return line.