JP2000297713A - Fuel system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel system which can stably supply fuel, and besides, is strong against vibration, is small and is easily attached to. SOLUTION: This fuel system is equipped with a bottom plate 4a for closing an opening in the bottom surface of a fuel tank and a side wall part 4b integrally formed with the bottom plate 4a, and a space in the side wall part 4b has a flange 4 forming a sub tank 16 in the fuel tank. A fuel pump 5, a strainer 6 and a pressure regulator 7 are arranged in the space in the side wall part 4b, and return fuel in the pressure regulator 7 is returned to the inside of the sub tank 16. A cover 40 having a connecting member 41 equipped with a fuel channel for connecting the fuel pump 5 with the strainer 6 is attached to the upper part of the side wall part 4b. The connecting member 41 retains the fuel pump 5 and the upper part of the strainer 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-tank type fuel supply device, and more particularly to a technique which is effective when applied to a fuel supply device of a type which is mounted from the bottom side of a fuel tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a fuel supply device for a motorcycle or a four-wheeled vehicle, a fuel pump, a strainer, etc. are provided in a fuel tank as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. Hei 10-213036 and Hei 8-225023. The so-called in-tank type devices arranged are widely used. Such an in-tank type fuel supply device is roughly divided into two types, as shown in FIG. 5, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-213036, in which a unit is attached from a bottom opening 52 of a fuel tank 51, and FIG. As described in JP-A-8-225023, a unit is mounted on the bottom of a fuel tank 61.

Here, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 5, a sub-tank 54 is mounted on a set plate 53, and a fuel pump 55 is disposed therein via a pump holder 60. A suction port 55a is provided at a lower portion of the fuel pump 55, and a fuel filter 56 is attached thereto. A feed pipe 57 is drawn out from the upper part of the fuel pump 55,
It is connected to a vehicle body side pipe 59 via a fuel outflow prevention valve 58. In this case, the valve opening pressure of the valve 58 from the fuel pump 55 side is set to be larger than the total maximum value of the fuel head pressure and the pressure inside the fuel tank 51 so that the fuel does not flow out or scatter due to the siphon phenomenon. Is considered.

[0006] On the other hand, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 6, a swirling tank main body 63 is attached to a bottom surface of a fuel tank 61 via a bracket 62. A lid 64 is attached to the upper surface of the swirling tank body 63. A pump support 65 is provided inside the main body 63, and an opening 69 is formed in the lid 64 so as to correspond thereto. The opening 69 is provided with the pump support 6.
Curved convex portion 6 for holding down fuel pump 66 mounted on
7 and a holding plate 68 are formed. The fuel pump 66 is sandwiched and fixed between the lid 64 and the main body 63 by using the curved convex portion 67 and the pressing plate 68.

[0005]

However, in the fuel supply device as shown in FIG. 5, since the fuel pump 55 is fixed on the pump holder 60, there is a problem that the stability of the fuel pump 55 against vibration is low. is there. In this case, in order to increase the stability of the pump, the fuel pump 55 is connected to the sub-tank 54 or the set plate 53 by a stay.
There is also proposed a method of fixing to. However, there has been a problem in that a sufficient degree of reinforcement cannot be ensured with the reinforcement of the stay, and the number of parts is increased, which leads to an increase in cost. Further, in order to sufficiently reinforce, it is necessary to use a reinforcer having considerably high strength, and there is a problem that an increase in the size and weight of the apparatus cannot be avoided.

On the other hand, in the apparatus as shown in FIG. 6, since the fuel pump 66 is supported by the pump support 65, the stability is higher than that of the above-described apparatus. However, FIG.
In this device, since the pump 66 is sandwiched and fixed between the lid 64 and the main body 63, the pressure regulator provided at the subsequent stage of the fuel pump is provided outside the swirl tank (sub tank). Therefore, when this device is applied to a so-called returnless system in which a pressure regulator is arranged on the fuel tank side and fuel return piping is eliminated,
Return fuel will be returned outside the sub-tank. Therefore, despite the provision of the sub-tank, there is a problem that the fuel in the sub-tank is exhausted to the outside of the sub-tank, and the function of the sub-tank cannot be fully utilized.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel supply apparatus which can supply fuel stably, is resistant to vibration, and is small and easy to mount.

[0008]

A fuel supply device according to the present invention is provided with a fuel pump disposed in a fuel tank, the fuel supply device being assembled into the fuel tank through an opening in a bottom surface of the fuel tank. A bottom plate formed so as to close the opening, and a side wall formed integrally with the bottom plate on the bottom plate, and a space in the side wall forms a sub-tank in the fuel tank. It is characterized by having a flange member.

Thus, the flange member and the sub tank can be integrated, and the number of parts can be reduced and workability can be improved.

In this case, the fuel supply device may further include a strainer for purifying fuel, and the fuel pump and the strainer may be disposed in the space. Further, the fuel supply device may further include a pressure regulator for adjusting a fuel supply pressure, and the fuel pump and the pressure regulator may be disposed in the space. This reduces the size of the entire device,
The device can be installed simply by attaching the module to the fuel tank.

Further, the pressure regulator is:
A returnless type pressure regulator may be used. As a result, the return fuel is returned to the sub-tank, the fuel in the sub-tank can be used without waste, and the fuel can be stably supplied to the engine.

On the other hand, the fuel supply device may be provided with a lid attached to an upper portion of the side wall portion, and the lid may hold an upper portion of the fuel pump. Thereby, the fuel pump is held up and down, and a configuration resistant to vibration can be realized.

Further, the fuel supply device may be provided with a lid attached to the upper portion of the side wall, and the lid may be provided with a connecting member having a fuel flow path for connecting between the fuel pump and the strainer. good. As a result, the lid also serves as the fuel flow path, so that the number of parts can be reduced and the size of the apparatus can be reduced. In this case, the connection member may hold the upper portions of the fuel pump and the strainer, whereby the fuel pump and the strainer are held at the upper portions, and it is possible to realize a vibration-resistant configuration. Become.

Further, the fuel supply device is provided with a lid attached to the upper portion of the side wall portion, and the lid is provided with a connecting member having a fuel flow path for connecting between the fuel pump and the pressure regulator. Is also good. This allows
Since the lid also serves as the fuel flow path, the number of parts can be reduced and the size of the device can be reduced. In this case, the connection member may hold the upper part of the fuel pump and the upper part of the pressure regulator, whereby the fuel pump and the pressure regulator are held at the upper part,
It is possible to realize a configuration that is resistant to vibration.

[0015]

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an attached state of the fuel supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the fuel supply device in a cut-away manner, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of the cross section along.

A fuel supply device 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as "device 1" as appropriate) is an in-tank type gasoline supply device for a motorcycle, and is formed on a bottom surface 2a of a fuel tank 2 as shown in FIG. The opening 3 is attached from below the fuel tank 2. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus 1 houses the fuel pump 5, the strainer 6, the pressure regulator 7, and the like in a cup-shaped flange (flange member) 4, and closes it with a lid (lid) 40. It has a modularized configuration. Then, the fuel 42 sucked up by the fuel pump 5 is purified by the strainer 6, adjusted to a predetermined pressure by the pressure regulator 7, and then supplied to the engine via the fuel pipe 43.
Is supplied.

Here, the flange 4 is formed of a synthetic resin, and has a bottom plate (bottom plate portion) 4a forming a bottom portion;
It comprises a bottom plate 4a and a side wall 4b formed integrally. Then, the bottom plate 4a is
The device 1 is mounted on the fuel tank 2
Attached to. That is, the fuel supply device 1 according to the present invention
Can be installed simply by attaching the module to the fuel tank 2, thereby improving the mounting workability.

The inside of the flange 4 is a space, and in the fuel supply device 1 according to the present invention, this space accommodates the fuel pump 5 and the like and also functions as a sub-tank 16. That is, the flange 4 also has a so-called reservoir function, and the fuel 42 sucked by the fuel pump 5 is temporarily stored in the flange 4 so that the fuel supply is not inconvenienced due to a slope, shaking of the vehicle body, or the like. It has become. In this case, when installing the sub-tank, a plurality of parts were conventionally used as in the apparatus of FIG. 5, but in the apparatus 1, this is achieved only by the flange 4. For this reason, in the device 1, the number of parts is reduced correspondingly, and the cost is reduced.

The fact that the flange 4 functions as the sub-tank 16 is, in other words, that the device 1 accommodates all the main components in the sub-tank 16. That is, in the fuel supply device 1 according to the present invention, the fuel pump 5, the strainer 6, and the pressure regulator 7 are housed in the sub-tank 16, thereby achieving the miniaturization of the entire module.

A fuel inlet 17 for introducing fuel 42 into the sub-tank 16 is formed in the side wall 4 b of the flange 4. In the device 1, the inside of the fuel inlet 17 has a labyrinth structure, and is configured so that the fuel 42 does not easily flow out of the sub tank 16. That is, the fuel inlet 17 is provided with a partition wall 18 extending in the circumferential direction from the opening 17 a inside the flange 4,
A labyrinth 19 is formed by this and the inner wall of the flange 4. Therefore, the fuel 42 once flowing into the sub-tank 16 is blocked by the labyrinth 19 and does not easily flow out of the tank.

A lid 40 made of a synthetic resin is attached to the upper part of the flange 4 as shown in FIGS. A connection member 41 having a fuel flow path formed therein is integrally formed on the lower surface side of the lid 40. When the lid 40 is attached to the flange 4, the connection member 41 is connected to the fuel pump 5.
And the strainer 6 so as to be connected to each other by an internal fuel flow path. For this reason, the piping conventionally provided separately for connecting the two can be omitted, and the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced. In addition, since the lid 40 and the connecting member 41 are integrated, the size of the entire apparatus can be reduced.

Further, the fuel pump 5 and the strainer 6
The upper part is held by the lid 40. That is, the lid 4
Reference numeral 0 also functions as a support member for the fuel pump 5 and the strainer 6, and the device 1 is configured to hold these up and down. Therefore, the structure is more resistant to vibration than conventional devices, and the configuration is realized without using a stay or the like and without increasing the number of parts.

A fuel inlet 10 is provided below the fuel pump 5 so that fuel 42 can be taken in from the bottom of the sub-tank 16. In this case, a filter 13 is attached to the fuel suction port 10 so that coarse dust and the like in the fuel 42 are removed here.

On the other hand, the device 1 is used in a fuel supply system employing a so-called returnless system, and a pressure regulator 7 is provided on the fuel supply device side. In the device 1, a joint 12 is attached to a lower portion of the strainer 6, and the pressure regulator 7 is connected to the joint 12. In this case, the pressure regulator 7 is also disposed in the sub-tank 16, and all the fuel returned from the pressure regulator 7 is returned to the sub-tank 16. Therefore, in the fuel supply device 1 according to the present invention, waste such as returning the fuel 42 in the sub tank 16 to the outside of the sub tank 16 can be eliminated, and the fuel can be stably supplied to the engine.

Further, a lower portion of the joint 12 is connected to a fuel supply port 15 provided on a lower surface of the flange 4. A fuel pipe 43 is connected to the fuel supply port 15. Thus, the fuel 42 sucked up by the fuel pump 5 is sent to the fuel supply port 15 via the connecting member 41, the strainer 6, and the joint 12, and then sent to the engine by the fuel pipe 43. At this time, the pressure of the fuel sent to the fuel pipe 43 is adjusted by the pressure regulator 7, and the excess fuel at this time is returned to the sub tank 16 as described above.

As described above, according to the fuel supply device 1 of the present invention, the flange 4 which is a member to be attached to the fuel tank 2 is configured as a storage container for devices such as the fuel pump 5 and is used as the sub tank 16. As a result, the entire device is modularized, and the device is reduced in size and the number of parts and the number of work steps are reduced. Also, the device lid 40
In addition, since it has a role of the connection member 41 and a role of a support member for the fuel pump 5 and the like, a configuration resistant to vibration can be realized without increasing the number of parts. Further, by disposing the pressure regulator 7 in the sub-tank 16, surplus fuel is returned into the sub-tank 16, and the fuel 42 in the sub-tank 16 can be used without waste, and a stable supply of fuel can be realized.

(Embodiment 2) Next, a fuel supply apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. FIG.
Is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the configuration, and is a drawing corresponding to FIG. 3 in the first embodiment. The same members and portions as those of the device 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the details are omitted.

The apparatus 100 is the same as the apparatus 1
, And the upper surface of the flange 4 is open. Also, between the fuel pump 5 and the strainer 6,
It is connected by a connection tube 44 instead of the connection member 41. Tube connection portions 5a and 6a are provided on the upper portions of the fuel pump 5 and the strainer 6, respectively, and the tube connection portions 5a and 6a are connected by a connection tube 44. In this case, in the apparatus 100, there is no lid 40 that holds the upper parts of the fuel pump 5 and the strainer 6, but the number of parts can be reduced accordingly.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the fuel pump 5 and the strainer 6 are connected to the connecting member 41 or the connecting tube 4.
4, the pressure regulator 7 is disposed in front of the strainer 6, and the fuel pump 5 and the pressure regulator 7 (joint 12) are connected or held by the connection member 41 or the connection tube 44. good. In this case, the strainer 6 does not necessarily need to be installed in the flange 4, and the same applies to the pressure regulator 7 in the above-described embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the fuel supply device for a motorcycle has been described as an example. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to a motorcycle, but may be applied to a four-wheeled vehicle, a golf cart, a lawn mower, or the like. It can be widely applied as a fuel supply device for a machine using an internal combustion engine as a drive source, such as a work vehicle, an industrial machine, a portable generator, and the like. The fuel to be supplied is not limited to gasoline, but may be light oil or kerosene.

[0032]

According to the fuel supply device of the present invention, the flange member having the bottom plate and the side wall is attached from below the fuel tank, and the space in the side wall functions as a sub-tank in the fuel tank. Accordingly, the flange member and the sub tank can be integrated, and the number of parts can be reduced and workability can be improved. Further, by arranging the fuel pump and at least one of the strainer and the pressure regulator in the space, the entire device is reduced in size, and the device can be installed only by attaching the module to the fuel tank. ,
Work efficiency can be improved.

Further, by disposing a returnless type pressure regulator in the space, the return fuel is returned to the sub-tank, the fuel in the sub-tank can be used without waste, and the fuel can be stably used in the engine. Can be supplied to

On the other hand, by providing the lid for holding the upper part of the fuel pump on the upper part of the side wall part, the fuel pump is held up and down, and a structure resistant to vibration can be realized.

Further, by providing a connecting member having a fuel flow path for connecting the fuel pump to the strainer or the fuel pump and the pressure regulator at the upper portion of the side wall portion, the lid also functions as the fuel flow path, and The number of points can be reduced and the size of the device can be reduced. Furthermore, the connection member holds the upper part of the fuel pump and the strainer or the upper part of the fuel pump and the pressure regulator, so that the fuel pump and the strainer or the fuel pump and the pressure regulator are held at the upper part, thereby realizing a structure resistant to vibration. It becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an attached state of a fuel supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view of a fuel supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a cross section taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of a fuel supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional fuel supply device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a conventional fuel supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel supply apparatus 2 Fuel tank 2a Bottom surface 3 Opening 4 Flange (flange member) 4a Bottom plate (bottom plate part) 4b Side wall part 5 Fuel pump 5a Tube connection part 6 Strainer 6a Tube connection part 7 Pressure regulator 8 Packing 10 Fuel suction port 12 Joint DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Filter 15 Fuel supply port 16 Subtank 17 Fuel inlet 17a Opening 18 Partition wall 19 Labyrinth 40 Lid (lid) 41 Connecting member 42 Fuel 43 Fuel pipe 44 Connection tube 51 Fuel tank 52 Bottom opening 53 Set plate 54 Subtank 55 Fuel pump 55a Suction port 56 Fuel filter 57 Feed pipe 58 Fuel outflow prevention valve 59 Body side piping 60 Pump holder 61 Fuel tank 62 Bracket 63 Revolving tub body 64 Lid 65 Pump support 66 Pump 67 curved projection 68 pressing plate 69 opening

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A fuel supply device comprising a fuel pump disposed in a fuel tank, the fuel supply device being assembled into the fuel tank from an opening on a bottom surface of the fuel tank, wherein a bottom plate formed to close the opening. And a side wall formed integrally with the bottom plate portion on the bottom plate portion, and a space in the side wall portion has a flange member forming a sub-tank in the fuel tank. . 2. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein
The fuel supply apparatus further includes a strainer for purifying fuel, wherein the fuel pump and the strainer are disposed in the space. 3. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein
The fuel supply device further comprises a pressure regulator for adjusting a fuel supply pressure, wherein the fuel pump and the pressure regulator are disposed in the space. 4. The fuel supply device according to claim 3, wherein
The fuel supply device, wherein the pressure regulator is a returnless type pressure regulator. 5. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the fuel supply device has a lid attached to an upper portion of the side wall portion, wherein the lid is provided for the fuel pump. A fuel supply device that holds an upper part. 6. The fuel supply device according to claim 2, wherein
The fuel supply device has a lid attached to the upper portion of the side wall portion, and the lid has a connection member provided with a fuel flow path connecting between the fuel pump and the strainer. Fuel supply device. 7. The fuel supply device according to claim 6, wherein
The fuel supply device, wherein the connection member holds upper portions of the fuel pump and the strainer. 8. The fuel supply device according to claim 3, wherein the fuel supply device has a lid attached to an upper portion of the side wall portion, wherein the lid is provided between the fuel pump and the pressure regulator. A fuel supply device, comprising a connection member provided with a fuel flow path for connecting the fuel supply device and the fuel supply device. 9. The fuel supply device according to claim 8, wherein
The fuel supply device, wherein the connection member holds an upper part of the fuel pump and an upper part of the pressure regulator.