KR200257462Y1 - LPG Fuel Tank for Vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank for a vehicle. LPG fuel tank 1 of the present invention, the tank body 10 is filled with LPG, the valve container 20 is equipped with a plurality of valves 21 for controlling the entry and exit of the LPG to the tank body 10, leakage Ventilation unit 30 for discharging gas to the outside of the vehicle, and a mounting unit 40 for mounting the tank body 10 to the vehicle, the tank body 10, by pressing the aluminum alloy on one side The aluminum alloy cylindrical body 11 which formed the opening part 12, the neck part 13 formed by heat-pressing the opening part 12, the plug 14 which seals the neck part 13, and the cylindrical body 11 It is made of a seamless aluminum alloy provided with a through hole 15 formed through the front side of the front side to which the valve container 20 is hermetically mounted. Preferably, the valve container 20 includes a base 23 that is hermetically welded to the through hole 15 of the tank body 10, a case 25 that is hermetically assembled to the base 23, and a case 25. A cover 28 is hermetically covered, and both sides of the case 25 are formed with protruding openings 26 through which leakage gas, an LPG filling pipe 3, an LPG supply pipe 4, and wires 5 pass. The vent 30 is hermetically connected to one of the two outlets 26, and the other one is hermetically sealed.

Description

LPG Fuel Tank for Vehicle

(Technology)

The present invention relates to a liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank for a vehicle, and more particularly, by forming an integrally molded aluminum alloy without a seam, it is possible to prevent gas leakage due to the corrosion of the tank caused by welding seams and to reduce the weight In addition, it relates to a seamless vehicle LPG fuel tank made of aluminum alloy, which can safely vent the leaking gas and is very easy to level when installed in the vehicle.

(Background)

Vehicles that use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as fuel are equipped with LPG fuel tanks. LPG fuel tanks vary depending on the vehicle type, but passenger cars are usually mounted in the space inside the trunk.

6 and 7 are schematic front and side views of a conventional representative LPG fuel tank for a vehicle. As shown, the conventional LPG fuel tank 100 is manufactured by welding a steel plate processed in a hemispherical shape on both sides of the central cylindrical body 110 formed by welding the steel plate in a cylindrical shape.

The upper hemispherical steel plate of the LPG tank 100 is provided with a valve mounting portion 120 boring a plurality of holes, the valve mounting portion 120 is a plurality of LPG injection to the tank 100 and LPG supply to the engine Valves (130: on-off valve, emergency shut-off valve, etc.) is inserted and fixed by welding, the cylindrical body 110 is also provided with a flow meter 140 to check the LPG filling amount by drilling a hole.

In addition, a cover 150 for protecting the valves 130 is welded around the valve mounting part 120, and the cylinders 110 have brackets for fixing the fuel tank 100 to the trunk bottom of the vehicle. (bracket 160) is welded.

The conventional LPG fuel tank 100 of the above configuration, there are some problems as follows.

First, since the existing LPG fuel tank 100 is formed by welding a steel plate, it is easy to contain welding defects such as pinholes, and a plurality of welding joints 170 may be formed in the longitudinal direction and the circumferential direction of the tank. Therefore, it is not possible to exclude the risk of gas leakage and explosion accident through corrosion of welded joint, which is more vulnerable to corrosion than other weld defects and other parts not found.

Second, since the existing LPG fuel tank 100 is made of steel having a heavy weight, not only the handling is inconvenient, but also the weight of the vehicle is increased, causing fuel consumption.

Third, since the valves 130 are randomly mounted on the hemispherical steel plate forming the inclined surface and the valves 130 are mounted by perforation and welding, gas leakage accidents are likely to occur due to cracks caused by impacts. Gas piping 180 is also disordered.

Fourth, once leaked gas can be quickly discharged out of the vehicle, the existing LPG fuel tank 100 stays in the trunk for a long time until the exhaust gas is discharged through the vent formed in the vehicle (eg trunk) There is a high risk of exposure to the explosion.

Fifth, since the conventional LPG fuel tank 100 uses a uniformly welded bracket 160 when mounting it on a vehicle, the horizontal alignment (the operation of positioning the fuel amount displayed on the flowmeter to match the actual fuel amount) is performed. Very difficult. That is, in case of a vehicle manufactured as an LPG vehicle from the factory, there is no problem related to the fuel tank mounting and leveling by mounting the LPG fuel tank in the designed position at the time of manufacture of the vehicle. The mechanic must level the LPG fuel tank directly. However, the existing LPG fuel tank 100 is not easy to adjust the horizontal level because it is only dependent on the brackets 160, even though the bottom of the trunk is different depending on the type of vehicle, the flow meter 140 in the wrong level adjustment It is not uncommon for the amount of fuel displayed in) not to match the actual amount of charged fuel. Such overcharging may result in the risk of safety accidents due to overcharging and frequent discomfort of charging due to undercharging.

An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of gas leakage risk and fuel efficiency reduction due to excessive weight due to welding site corrosion associated with the conventional LPG fuel tank for vehicles as described above, integrally molded with aluminum alloy It is to provide a vehicle LPG fuel tank.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an LPG fuel tank for a vehicle having a new ventilation structure that can safely discharge leaked gas out of the vehicle, as well as pipe and wire LPG piping and wires in the shortest distance. It is.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an LPG fuel tank for a vehicle having a mounting structure that is easy to level when mounting the LPG fuel tank on a vehicle.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank for a vehicle of the present invention;

2 is a schematic front view of an exemplary liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank for a vehicle of the present invention;

3 is a schematic side view of an exemplary liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank for a vehicle of the present invention;

Figure 4 is an exemplary manufacturing process schematic diagram of the liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank of the present invention,

5 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an exemplary valve container applied to a liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank for a vehicle of the present invention;

6 is a schematic front view of a typical representative LPG fuel tank for a vehicle;

7 is a schematic side view of a conventional representative LPG fuel tank for a vehicle.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

1: LPG fuel tank of the present invention

3: LPG charging line 4: LPG supply line 5: wire

6: bottom surface 7: vent hole 10: tank body

11: cylinder 12: opening 13: neck

14: plug 15: through hole 20: valve container

21: valve 22: flow meter 23: base

24: mounting hole 25: case 26: outlet

27: cap 28: lid 30: ventilation

31: first ventilation pipe 32: hose band 33: branch pipe for the charging pipe

34: 2nd ventilation pipe 35: electric wire branch pipe 36: incision part

37: engaging jaw 40: mounting portion 41, 41A, 41B: bridge

42: tank support 43: fixing band 44: adjusting nut

According to the present invention, the tank body filled with LPG, the valve container is equipped with a plurality of valves for controlling the entry and exit of the LPG to the tank body, a ventilation unit for discharging the leaking gas to the outside of the vehicle, and the tank body A vehicle LPG fuel tank is provided that includes a mounting portion for mounting to a vehicle.

According to a feature of the present invention, the tank body is an aluminum alloy cylinder body formed by pressing an aluminum alloy to form an opening at one side, a neck formed by heating and pressing the opening, a plug for sealing the neck, and a front upper side of the cylinder. It is made of a seamless aluminum alloy having a through-hole formed in the through-vehicle is formed in the valve container.

According to another feature of the present invention, the valve container, a base having a base welded to the through-hole, a case having an air outlet connection outlet, which is airtightly assembled to the base and formed one by one on both sides, and the air-tight opening and closing of the case It may be configured to include a cover that is possibly covered, one of the outlet of the valve container is equipped with a vent for discharging leakage gas to the outside of the vehicle and the other is sealed.

Preferably the ventilator comprises a first ventilator and a second ventilator.

The first ventilation pipe is made of hard rubber of high strength so as not to be damaged by an external impact. One end of the first vent pipe is hermetically fitted to the outlet of the valve container and the other end is elongated to return to the side of the tank body. The first ventilating pipe is integrally formed with a branch pipe for filling pipe in which an LPG filling pipe connecting between the valve container and the filling hole is drawn out to the outside.

The second vent pipe is a flexible pipe that connects the other end of the first vent pipe with a vent formed through the vehicle to communicate with the outside, and wires connecting the valve container and the electric device of the vehicle The branch pipe for electric wires drawn out is formed integrally.

According to another feature of the invention, the mounting portion bridges fixed to the bottom surface of the vehicle, tank supporters having a concave circular contour fixed to the bridges and corresponding to the outer contour of the tank body, and each tank support It can be configured to include a fixed band that is fixedly adjustable both ends to the length.

Hereinafter, the liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank for a vehicle according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in detail. The following embodiments are merely illustrative of the vehicle liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank according to the present invention is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary vehicle liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank of the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic front view of an exemplary vehicle liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank of the present invention, Figure 3 is an exemplary vehicle liquefied petroleum gas fuel of the present invention Figure 4 is a schematic side view of the tank, Figure 4 is an exemplary manufacturing process schematic diagram of the liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank of the present invention, Figure 5 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an exemplary valve container applied to the vehicle liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank of the present invention.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the vehicle LPG fuel tank 1 of the present invention, the tank body 10 is filled with LPG, the valve container 20 is equipped with a plurality of valves 21, leakage gas It includes a ventilation unit 30 for discharging the water, and a mounting unit 40 for mounting the tank body 10 to the vehicle.

First, the tank body 10 is integrally formed of a seamless aluminum alloy. This seamless aluminum alloy tank body 10, as shown in Figure 4, the aluminum alloy disc prepared through the process of aluminum casting, surface impurities removal, rolling, press punching, annealing, etc. over several times. Pressing to form an aluminum alloy cylindrical body 11 having an opening 12 formed on one side (see FIGS. 4A and 4B), and the valve container 20 at approximately the front side of the cylindrical body 11. For example, the step of forming a through-hole 15 having a rectangular shape for mounting (see FIG. 4C), by heating the periphery of the opening 12 to the extrusion temperature and pressing the circumference with a rotating roller gradually Forming a small diameter neck 13 in the open portion 12 (see FIG. 4D), cutting the neck 13 to an appropriate length, and forming a screw to completely seal the plug 14 ( (See FIG. 4E).

Since the tank body 10 manufactured by such a series of processes is integrally formed without welding at all except that the periphery of the through hole 15 for mounting the valve container 20 is welded, the steel plate is welded. Compared with the conventional steel tank manufactured by the above, it has excellent pressure resistance, airtightness, and burst resistance, and has semi-permanent durability. In addition, since the weight is significantly lighter than steel, it is easy to handle, and in particular, it is possible to minimize the fuel economy reduction due to the increase in vehicle weight by the LPG fuel tank.

The valve container 20 includes a plurality of valves 21 (eg, on / off valves, emergency shutoff valves, filling valves, etc.) and LPGs of the tank body 10 for controlling the access of the LPG to the tank body 10. It is a container for mounting the flowmeter 22 etc. which display a filling amount.

As shown in FIG. 5, the valve container 20 is hermetically welded to the through hole 15 of the tank body 10 and includes a plurality of mounting holes for mounting the valve 21 and the flow meter 22. A base 23 having a 24 formed therein, a case 25 which is hermetically coupled to the base 23, in which a valve 21 and a flow meter 22 are accommodated, and an openable lid which hermetically covers the case 25. It may be configured to include (28).

The case 25 has one outlet port 26 protruding from each other on both sides thereof, one of the two outlet port 26 is connected to the ventilation portion 30 and the other one of the cap 27 (eg, rubber cap) Sealed tightly. The reason why the two outlets 26 are formed is to allow the ventilation unit 30 to be selected from side to side according to various structures of the vehicle. Reference numeral 29 denotes a gasket for confidentiality.

According to the structure of the valve container 20 as described above, not only the valves 21 and the flow meter 22 which are cluttered on the top inclined surface of the tank and the cylindrical body are arranged compactly, but also these valves 21 and the flow meter 22. Weld can be minimized for the installation, and the valve operation and the flow meter 22 can be made easier.

In addition, even if some of the LPG leaks from the valve 21 or the like, the leaked gas does not leak out of the valve container 20, but is completely discharged to the outside of the vehicle through the outlet 26 and the ventilation unit 30. It is possible to prevent, and since the valve 21 and the flow meter 22 is protected by the rigid valve container 20, there is no fear of being damaged by an external impact.

The ventilation part 30 connected to one of the outlets 26 of the valve container 20 discharges the leaking gas which may exist in the valve container 20 to the outside of the vehicle, while between the valve container 20 and the filling port. LPG filling pipe (3) to be piped, LPG supply pipe (4) for supplying LPG to the engine, and wires connecting the valve container 20 and the electric device of the vehicle (5: for example, connecting the flow meter and the instrument of the vehicle) Signal lines, wires connected to electronic valves, etc.) provide a path for piping and wiring.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ventilation unit 30 may include a first ventilation pipe 31 and a second ventilation pipe 34.

The first ventilation pipe 31 is formed of, for example, hard rubber of high strength so as not to be damaged and not deformed by an impact from the outside (for example, cargo carried in the trunk). One end (upper end) of the first ventilation pipe 31 is fitted around the outlet 26 to be hermetically sealed by, for example, a hose band 32 or the like, and the other end (lower end) of the tank body (which is not easy to contact from the outside) Elongated toward the side of 10).

The first ventilating pipe 31 has a branch pipe for the filling pipe which causes the LPG filling pipe 3 piped from the valve container 20 through the first ventilating pipe 31 to exit from (or to be drawn out from) the first ventilating pipe 31. 33) can be integrally formed, and the drawn pipe branch pipe 33 is piped toward the filling hole. Preferably, the filling tube branch pipe 33 is branched at a position close to the opposite end (lower end) of the end connected to the outlet 26 to minimize the degree of exposing the filling pipe branch pipe 33 to the outside.

In addition, the end of the filling tube branch pipe 33 is preferably formed of a soft rubber to be in close contact with the inserted LPG filling pipe (3) to maintain the airtight. In addition, the outlet 26 of the first ventilation pipe 31 is connected to an end (upper end) of the first ventilation pipe 31 so that the length of the first ventilation pipe 31 can be cut and adjusted according to the environment of the vehicle (trunk) on which the ventilation part 30 is mounted. It is desirable to leave enough space.

The second ventilation pipe 34 is a pipe that guides the leaking gas that has passed through the first ventilation pipe 31 to the outside of the vehicle, and one end (upper end) of the second ventilation pipe 34 is inserted into the first ventilation pipe 31 to hermetically seal the hose band 32 or the like. It is sealed and the other end (lower end) is connected to a ventilation hole 7 formed in the bottom surface 6 of the vehicle (eg, trunk bottom). The second ventilation pipe 34 is formed of a flexible pipe to guide the ventilation part 30 freely to the ventilation hole 7.

The second ventilation pipe 34 has a wire for allowing the electric wire 5 introduced from the valve container 20 to the second ventilation pipe 34 along the inside of the first ventilation pipe 31 to exit from the second ventilation pipe 34. The branch pipe 35 can be integrally formed. The electric wire 5 drawn out from the second ventilation pipe 34 is wired toward the electric device.

It is preferable that the branch pipes 35 for electric wires are integrally formed close to the connection end with the first ventilation pipe 31. In addition, the cutout 36 may be formed to extend from the connecting end of the first ventilation pipe 31 of the second ventilation pipe 34 to the branch pipe 35 for the electric wire. The electric wire 5 can be hermetically wired by inserting the electric wire 5 into the branch pipe 35 for the electric wire through the cut 36 and then sealing the cut 36. At the other end (lower end) of the second ventilation pipe 34, it is preferable to form an annular locking step 37 for mounting in the ventilation hole 7.

The LPG supply pipe 4 is guided out of the vehicle through the first ventilation pipe 31, the second ring engine 34, and the ventilation hole 7 and piped to the engine.

According to the configuration of the ventilation unit 30 as described above, since the first ventilation pipe 31 of the high-strength hard rubber is exposed to the part that is accessible from the outside and can be shocked, there is almost no fear of damage due to external impact. . In addition, it is possible to facilitate the sealing of the connecting portion, the piping and the wiring portion, it is possible to neatly wire and pipe the LPG charging pipe (3), LPG supply pipe (4) and wires (5) to the shortest length. .

The tank body 10 is fixed to the bottom surface (6: bottom surface of the trunk) of the vehicle by the mounting portion 40. Mounting unit 40, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, may be composed of a bridge 41, tank support 42 and the fixing band 43.

The bridge 41 is spaced apart from the main bridge 41A formed in the longitudinal direction in front of the tank body 10 and the main bridge 41A by a predetermined distance, and arranged parallel to the main bridge 41A. Two subbridges 41B, each of which is fixed to the bottom surface 6 by bolts.

Tank support 42 may be composed of two fixed between the main bridge (41A) and each of the sub-bridges (41B), the upper surface of each tank support 42 to the outer contour of the tank body (10) It has a corresponding concave circular contour.

The fixing band 43 has a band shape that can be wound around the tank body 10 such as belt steel or leather to secure the tank body 10 firmly and durably, and has adjustment nuts at both ends of each tank support 42. It is screwed so that the length can be adjusted by 44.

According to the configuration of the mounting portion 40 of this configuration, the bridges 41 are bolted to a suitable position of the vehicle bottom 6, the two tank support 42 is bolted across the bridges 41 And, after raising the tank on the two tank support 42, the tank body 10 is positioned so that the valve container 20 is positioned at a position where the flow meter 22 can accurately represent the LPG flow rate filled in the tank body 10. After rotation, the two fixing bands 43 are wound around the tank body 10 to tighten the adjusting nut 44, so that the tank body 10 is firmly fixed to the correct horizontal alignment.

Effects of the vehicle LPG fuel tank 1 according to the present invention described above are as follows.

First, since the tank body 10 is integrally molded with aluminum alloy, which is a hard metal, without welding seam, gas leakage and explosion due to corrosion of the welded portion can be eliminated, and the weight of the vehicle derived from the LPG fuel tank is reduced to steel and aluminum. As the weight difference of the alloy can be reduced, the fuel consumption of the vehicle can be reduced.

Second, since the valves 21 and the flow meter 22 are compactly aligned in the rigid and hermetic valve container 20, damage to the valves 21 and the flow meter 22 due to external impact can be prevented, and Gas can be prevented from leaking into the vehicle.

Third, according to the configuration of the ventilation unit 30 composed of the first ventilation tube 31 and the flexible second ventilation tube 34 of high strength hard rubber, there is little fear that the ventilation unit 30 may be damaged by external shock, The sealing of the site, the piping and the wiring part is easy, and the LPG filling pipe 3, the LPG supply pipe 4 and the wires 5 can be neatly wired and piped to the shortest length.

Fourth, according to the configuration of the mounting portion 40 consisting of the bridge (41, 41A, 41B), the tank support 42 and the fixing band 43, the tank body 10 can be easily horizontally and firmly fixed have.

Claims (5)

A tank main body 10 filled with LPG, a valve container 20 equipped with a plurality of valves 21 for controlling the access of the LPG to the tank main body 10, and a ventilation unit for discharging leakage gas to the outside of the vehicle In the vehicle LPG fuel tank (1) comprising a 30, and a mounting portion 40 for mounting the tank body 10 to the vehicle, The tank body 10 is an aluminum alloy cylindrical body 11 formed by pressing an aluminum alloy to form an open portion 12 on one side, a neck portion 13 formed by heating and pressing the open portion 12, and the neck portion. (13) with a seamless aluminum alloy having a plug (14) for sealing and a through hole (15) formed through the front side of the cylindrical body (11) to which the valve container (20) is hermetically mounted. Liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank for a vehicle, characterized in that. The valve container 20 is hermetically welded to the through hole 15 of the tank body 10 and has a plurality of mounting holes 24 for mounting the valve 21. And a base 25, a case 25, which is hermetically assembled to the base 23, to accommodate the valve 21, and an openable and open lid 28 to cover the case 25 in an airtight manner. Liquefied petroleum gas fuel tanks for vehicles. According to claim 2, Both sides of the case 25, the leakage gas, LPG filling pipe (3) which is piped between the valve container 20 and the filling port, LPG for supplying the engine from the valve container 20 to the engine LPG supply pipe 4 and the discharge port 26 through which the wires 5 connecting the valve container 20 and the electric device of the vehicle pass are formed, respectively, one of the two discharge port 26 Ventilation unit 30 is hermetically connected, the other liquid liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank characterized in that the airtight. According to claim 3, The ventilation portion 30 is connected to the outlet 26, made of high strength hard rubber, extending from the valve container 20 to the side of the tank body 10, A first ventilation pipe (31) in which a branch pipe (33) for filling pipe is formed integrally with which the LPG filling pipe (3) from the valve container (20) is drawn out; And It connects between the said 1st ring engine 31 and the ventilation hole 7 formed in the bottom surface 6 of the vehicle, is formed by the flexible pipe, and is elongate, and the said wire 5 from the valve container 20 is extended. A second ventilation pipe 34 in which branch pipes 35 for electric wires () are drawn out are integrally formed; Liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank for vehicles comprising a. The bridge 41 according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mounting portion 40 spans the bridge 41 and the bridge 41 that are fixed in parallel to the bottom surface 6 of the vehicle at a predetermined interval. Fixed and the upper surface of the tank support 42 having a concave circular contour corresponding to the outer contour of the tank body 10, and the band wound around the tank body 10 and fixed to fix the tank body 10 Liquefied petroleum gas fuel tank for a vehicle comprising a fixed band (43) of the shape.