JP4872692B2 - Fuel supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel supply device that supplies fuel inside a fuel tank to the outside of the fuel tank.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an in-tank type fuel supply device that houses a fuel pump inside a fuel tank is known. Such a fuel supply device includes a lid member that closes the opening of the fuel tank, and a fuel pump that is accommodated in the fuel tank. The fuel pump is supported by the lid member by, for example, a rod-shaped support member. The fuel pump is supported by the lid member directly by the support member or through a sub tank that houses the fuel pump. The end of the support member on the lid member side is accommodated on the inner peripheral side of the protruding portion provided on the lid member, for example, by press fitting. The protruding portion protrudes from the lid member toward the fuel tank, and forms a hole portion that accommodates the support member therein (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  When the fuel pump is supported on the lid member by the support member as described above, when a force is applied to the fuel pump accommodated in the fuel tank in the horizontal direction, that is, the direction perpendicular to the axis of the support member, the force is applied to the support member. Is added to the protruding part that supports. Since the protrusion is formed in a cylindrical shape protruding from the lid member, the thickness of the cylindrical side wall of the protrusion forming the hole is relatively small. For this reason, if an excessive force is applied to the support member due to the relative displacement between the lid member and the fuel pump, the protruding portion may be damaged.

  In order to increase the strength of the cylindrical portion, it is conceivable to extend the protruding portion to the fuel pump side. However, when the protrusion is extended, the distance from the end of the protrusion on the fuel pump side to the fuel pump is reduced. Therefore, it becomes difficult to arrange the lid member and the fuel pump close to each other, and it becomes difficult to reduce the height of the fuel supply device. As a result, there is a problem that it becomes difficult to cope with a shallow flat fuel tank that has been popular in recent years.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-220964

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel supply device that improves the strength of the lid member while reducing the overall length of the fuel tank in the depth direction.

In the first aspect of the present invention, a hole portion formed on the inner peripheral side of the protrusion, the plate on the outer peripheral side at the end opposite to the fuel pump reached the plate portion for closing the opening portion of the fuel tank Department exists . The lid member has a plate portion formed in a disk shape so as to close the opening of the fuel tank. By the hole in the plate portion reaches the end portion opposite to the fuel pump support member which is press-fitted into the protrusion, it reached the plate portion, the fuel pump side end surface of the plate portion and the opposite end face It is located in the plate thickness range between . Therefore, a plate member exists on the outer peripheral side of the support member on the side opposite to the fuel pump of the support member. Since the plate portion is formed in a plate shape as described above, a plate portion having a large plate thickness exists on the outer peripheral side of the support member. As a result, when a force is applied to the support member and the support member is inclined with respect to the axis, the plate portion having a large plate thickness becomes the fulcrum. Thereby, even if a large force is applied to the support member, the plate portion having a large plate thickness receives the force. The lid member has a convex portion on the opposite side of the hole portion with the plate portion interposed therebetween. Thereby, even if the hole reaches the plate portion, the plate thickness of the lid member is secured by the convex portion. As described above, the strength of the lid member is improved without extending the protruding portion. Therefore, the strength of the lid member can be increased while reducing the overall length of the fuel tank in the depth direction, and damage to the lid member can be reduced.

In the invention according to claim 2, the outer diameter of the support member is uniform. Therefore, the support member does not require processing such as cutting. Therefore, the support member can be formed with a simple structure.
In the invention according to claim 3, the lid member has a protrusion. The protrusion protrudes from the end of the protrusion on the fuel pump side to the inside of the hole. Therefore, when the support member is formed to be hollow, the protrusion is press-fitted into the hollow support member. Thereby, the edge part of a supporting member is firmly hold | maintained by a projection part. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the removal of the support member and further increase the strength of the lid member.
In the invention according to claim 4, the projecting portion has an opening portion in the axial direction, and the opening portion penetrates the side wall of the projecting portion forming the hole portion in the radial direction, and is engaged with the support member from the opening portion. A stop member is attached.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, in a plurality of embodiments, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
(First embodiment)
A fuel supply apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The fuel supply device 10 includes a lid member 20. The lid member 20 includes a plate part 21, a cylinder part 22, a protruding part 23, and a convex part 24. The lid member 20 is attached to the upper wall 101 of the fuel tank 100 and closes the opening 102 of the fuel tank 100. In the fuel supply device 10, the pump module 30 other than the lid member 20 is accommodated in the fuel tank 100.

  The pump module 30 includes a fuel pump 31, a fuel filter 32, a suction filter 33, and a pressure regulator 34. The fuel pump 31, the fuel filter 32, the suction filter 33 and the pressure regulator 34 are accommodated in the sub tank 40. The fuel filter 32 has a substantially cylindrical pump case 35. The pump case 35 includes a case main body 36 and a cover 37. The pump case 35 accommodates a filter element 38 inside a cylindrical shape. The pump case 35 of the fuel filter 32 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and houses the fuel pump 31 on the inner peripheral side. Thereby, the fuel filter 32 covers the outer peripheral side of the fuel pump 31 in the circumferential direction. The fuel pump 31 houses a motor (not shown). The fuel pump 31 boosts the fuel sucked from the suction filter 33 by a rotating member such as an impeller that rotates together with the motor.

  The pressure regulator 34 is provided in an outflow portion 39 formed integrally with the case main body 36 of the pump case 35. The pressure regulator 34 adjusts the pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 31 and passed through the fuel filter 32. The suction filter 33 is provided on the suction side of the fuel pump 31. The suction filter 33 removes relatively large foreign matters contained in the fuel.

  The lid member 20 is provided with a fuel discharge pipe 41 and an electrical connector 42. The fuel discharge pipe 11 discharges the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 31 accommodated in the sub tank 40 to the outside of the fuel tank 100. The fuel discharged from the fuel pump 31 and passing through the fuel filter 32 is adjusted in pressure by the pressure regulator 34 and then flows out to the fuel discharge pipe 41 through the bellows pipe 43. The electrical connector 42 is electrically connected to the fuel pump 31 via a lead wire 44. Electric power from a power source (not shown) is supplied to the fuel pump 31 via the electrical connector 42 and the lead wire 44.

  The lid member 20 and the pump module 30 are supported by a stay 50 as a support member. One end of the stay 50 in the axial direction is connected to the lid member 20, and the other end is connected to the sub tank 40 of the pump module 30. The stay 50 has a substantially constant outer diameter between the lid member 20 and the pump module 30. That is, the stay 50 is formed in a rod shape having a substantially constant outer diameter.

  On the outer peripheral side of the stay 50, a spring 51 as an elastic member is provided. The sub tank 40 has a cylindrical support portion (not shown). The end of the stay 50 opposite to the lid member 20 is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the support provided in the sub tank 40 so as to be movable in the axial direction. Thereby, the lid member 20 and the pump module 30 are relatively movable in the axial direction of the lid member 20. That is, the lid member 20 supports the pump module 30 through the stay 50 so as to be movable in the depth direction of the fuel tank 100. The spring 51 presses the lid member 20 and the pump module 30 away from each other. As a result, the pump module 30 is pressed against the bottom wall 103 of the fuel tank 100 by the spring 51.

Next, the connecting portion between the lid member 20 and the stay 50 will be described in detail.
The lid member 20 is composed of the plate portion 21, the cylindrical portion 22, the protruding portion 23, and the convex portion 24 as described above. The plate part 21, the cylinder part 22, the protrusion part 23, and the convex part 24 which comprise the cover member 20 are integrally formed with resin. The lid member 20 is attached to the upper wall 101 of the fuel tank 100. The plate part 21 is formed in a disk shape. The plate portion 21 has an outer diameter larger than the opening 102 of the fuel tank 100. Therefore, the plate portion 21 closes the opening 102 of the fuel tank 100. The cylindrical portion 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter smaller than that of the plate portion 21, and protrudes from the plate portion 21 toward the inside of the fuel tank 100. Thereby, the cylinder part 22 is inserted into the fuel tank 100 from the opening 102.

  The protruding portion 23 protrudes from the plate portion 21 toward the inside of the fuel tank 100 on the radially inner side of the cylindrical portion 22. The protruding portions 23 are provided at both ends in the radial direction of the plate portion 21. The protrusion 23 forms a hole 25 extending in the axial direction on the inner side. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the hole 25 opens at the end of the protruding portion 23 on the pump module 30 side, and the other end reaches the plate portion 21. For this reason, the hole portion 25 has the plate portion 21 on the outer peripheral side at the end opposite to the pump module 30.

  The protrusion 23 has an opening 26 in the middle of the axial direction. The opening 26 penetrates the side wall of the protrusion 23 that forms the hole 25 in the radial direction. A ring 27 as a locking member is attached to the stay 50 from the opening 26. After the stay 50 is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the protrusion 23, the ring 27 is attached to the stay 50 through the opening 26, whereby the end of the stay 50 opposite to the pump module 30 is held by the lid member 20. .

  The end of the hole 25 opposite to the pump module 30 reaches the plate 21. Therefore, when the stay 50 is inserted into the protrusion 23, the end of the stay 50 opposite to the pump module 30 is located on the plate portion 21. The lid member 20 has a convex portion 24 on the side opposite to the hole portion 25 with the plate portion 21 interposed therebetween. The convex portion 24 protrudes from the surface of the lid member 20 opposite to the pump module 30 to the opposite side of the pump module 30. By providing the convex portion 24, the stay 50 inserted into the hole portion 25 formed by the protruding portion 23 does not penetrate the lid member 20. The height h and the thickness t1 of the convex portion 24 are substantially the same as the thickness t2 of the plate portion 21. The wall thickness t3 connecting the convex portion 24 and the plate portion 21 is set to be substantially the same as the thickness t2 of the plate portion 21 and the thickness t1 of the convex portion 24.

  When the pump module 30 is supported by the lid member 20 via the stay 50 as in the fuel supply device 10 of the first embodiment, the axial direction of the lid member 20 is between the lid member 20 and the pump module 30. In addition to the relative movement, the relative movement in the direction perpendicular to the axis, that is, in the radial direction of the lid member 20 occurs. That is, a relative positional shift in the radial direction of the lid member 20 occurs between the lid member 20 and the pump module 30. The stay 50 is inserted into the protrusion 23. Therefore, the force generated by the relative movement between the lid member 20 and the pump module 30 is concentrated via the stay 50 with the end portion of the stay 50 opposite to the pump module 30 as a fulcrum. As a result, due to the relative movement between the lid member 20 and the pump module 30, a large force is applied to the end of the protruding portion 23 opposite to the pump module 30.

  In the case of the first embodiment, the hole 25 formed on the inner peripheral side of the projecting portion 23 reaches the plate portion 21 at the end opposite to the pump module 30. Therefore, the end portion of the stay 50 opposite to the pump module 30 is located on the plate portion 21. The plate portion 21 has an extremely large thickness in the radial direction of the lid member 20 as compared with the protruding portion 23. As a result, even if a force is applied from the stay 50 to the lid member 20 at the end of the stay 50 opposite to the pump module 30, the force is received by the thick plate portion 21. Thereby, even if the stay 50 is inclined, the force due to the inclination is applied to the thick plate portion 21.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the hole 25 formed on the inner peripheral side of the protruding portion 23 reaches the plate portion 21 at the end opposite to the pump module 30. Therefore, the end of the stay 50 inserted into the hole 25 on the side opposite to the pump module 30 is located on the plate portion 21. Accordingly, even if the stay 50 is inclined due to the relative movement of the lid member 20 and the pump module 30, the plate portion 21 having a large thickness receives the force from the stay 50. Therefore, the strength of the lid member 20 can be increased, and damage to the lid member 20 can be reduced.

  Further, in the first embodiment, by receiving the force from the stay 50 by the plate portion 21, it is not necessary to extend the protruding portion 23 that supports the stay 50 to the pump module 30 side. Therefore, the lid member 20 and the sub tank 40 of the pump module 30 are arranged close to each other. That is, since the protrusion amount of the protrusion 23 between the lid member 20 and the sub tank 40 is reduced while securing the strength, the distance between the lid member 20 and the sub tank 40 is reduced. As a result, the height of the fuel supply device 10 is reduced. Therefore, the physique of the fuel supply device 10, in particular, the total length in the depth direction of the fuel tank 100 can be reduced, and can be easily applied to, for example, a shallow flat fuel tank 100.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the stay 50 has a substantially constant outer diameter in the axial direction from the lid member 20 to the pump module 30. Therefore, the stay 50 does not require processing such as cutting, and can simplify the structure and reduce the number of processing steps.

(Second Embodiment)
The principal part of the fuel supply apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG.
In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the stay 50 has a small diameter portion 52 in a part in the axial direction. By providing the small diameter portion 52 in the stay 50, when a relative movement occurs between the lid member 20 and the pump module 30, the displacement of the position is absorbed by the deformation of the small diameter portion 52. As a result, the force applied from the stay 50 to the lid member 20 is further reduced. Therefore, in the second embodiment, although the number of processing steps is increased as compared with the first embodiment, damage to the lid member 20 can be further reduced.

(Third and fourth embodiments)
The main parts of the fuel supply apparatus according to the third and fourth embodiments of the present invention are shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, respectively.
In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the stay 60 is press-fitted into the hole 25 of the lid member 20. The lid member 20 has a protruding portion 28 that protrudes from the convex portion 24 to the inside of the hole portion 25. The stay 60 has a hollow cylindrical portion 61 at the end opposite to the pump module 30. As a result, the protrusion 28 is press-fitted into the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 61 of the stay 60. That is, the stay 60 is press-fitted into the protrusion 23 on the outer peripheral side and is press-fitted into the protrusion 28 on the inner peripheral side. As a result, the stay 60 is firmly held against the lid member 20. In the third embodiment, the end of the hole 25 opposite to the pump module 30 is located in the plate portion 21 as in the first embodiment. Therefore, even when the stay 60 is press-fitted into the protruding portion 23, the plate portion 21 having a large thickness receives the force from the stay 60. Therefore, the strength of the lid member 20 can be increased, and damage to the lid member 20 can be reduced.
In the third embodiment, by pressing the stay 60 into the lid member 20, the number of steps for attaching the stay 60 and the lid member 20 can be reduced.

  In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the stay 60 has a small diameter portion 62 in the axial direction. Thereby, in 4th Embodiment, when the relative movement of the cover member 20 and the pump module 30 arises similarly to 2nd Embodiment, the shift | offset | difference of the position is absorbed by deformation | transformation of the small diameter part 62. FIG. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, damage to the lid member 20 can be further reduced as in the second embodiment.

(Fifth embodiment)
The principal part of the fuel supply apparatus by 5th Embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG.
In the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the stay 70 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape as a whole in the axial direction. By forming the stay 70 in a hollow shape, the weight of the stay 70 can be reduced. On the other hand, the lid member 20 has a protruding portion 28 that protrudes from the convex portion 24 to the inside of the hole portion 25 as in the third embodiment. Therefore, the protrusion 28 is press-fitted into the inner peripheral side of the hollow stay 70. That is, the stay 70 is press-fitted into the protrusion 23 on the outer peripheral side, and press-fitted into the protrusion 28 on the inner peripheral side. As a result, the stay 70 is firmly held against the lid member 20. In the fifth embodiment, the end of the hole 25 opposite to the pump module 30 is located in the plate portion 21 as in the first embodiment. Therefore, even when the stay 70 is press-fitted into the protruding portion 23, the plate portion 21 having a large thickness receives the force from the stay 70. Therefore, the strength of the lid member 20 can be increased, and damage to the lid member 20 can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
In the plurality of embodiments described above, the configuration in which the pump module 30 includes the sub tank 40 has been described. However, the lid member 20 and the stays 50, 60, 70 may support the pump module 30 including the fuel pump 31 and the fuel filter 32 without including the sub tank 40. In this case, for example, the pump case 35 that accommodates the fuel pump 31 and the fuel filter 32 can be provided with a support portion that supports the ends of the stays 50, 60, and 70 opposite to the lid member 20. In addition, for example, the configuration of the pump module 30 supported by the lid member 20 can be arbitrarily changed, such as a configuration in which the foreign matter collecting ability by the suction filter 33 is improved and the fuel filter 32 is eliminated.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the gist thereof.

Schematic which shows the structure of the fuel supply apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which expanded the principal part of the fuel supply apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which expanded the principal part of the fuel supply apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which expanded the principal part of the fuel supply apparatus by 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which expanded the principal part of the fuel supply apparatus by 4th Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which expanded the principal part of the fuel supply apparatus by 5th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  10: Fuel supply device, 20: Lid member, 21: Plate part, 22: Tube part, 23: Projection part, 24: Projection part, 25: Hole part, 28: Projection part, 30: Pump module, 31: Fuel pump 40: Sub tank, 50: Stay (support member), 100: Fuel tank, 102: Opening

Claims (4)

A lid member that closes the opening of the fuel tank; a fuel pump that is housed inside the fuel tank and discharges fuel inside the fuel tank; and one end connected to the lid member and the other end A fuel supply device comprising a support member for supporting the fuel pump,
The lid member is
A disc-shaped plate portion that closes the opening;
A cylindrical portion that is smaller in outer diameter than the plate portion, protrudes from the plate portion toward the fuel pump side, is provided integrally with the plate portion, and is inserted inside the opening portion;
Projected from the plate portion to the fuel pump side on the inner peripheral side of the cylinder portion, one end portion opens to the end portion on the fuel pump side on the inner peripheral side, and the other end portion to the plate portion a hole portion into which the plate portion is present on the outer peripheral side is formed at the end opposite to the fuel pump to reach, and the fuel pump of the support member cylindrical end portion of the opposite side is pressed Shaped protrusions,
A convex portion provided on the opposite side of the hole portion across the plate portion and protruding from the plate portion to the opposite side of the fuel pump;
Have
The support member has an end opposite to the fuel pump located within a plate thickness range between the fuel pump side end surface of the plate portion and the opposite end surface thereof, on the side opposite to the fuel pump. The plate portion exists on the outer peripheral side,
The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein when the relative displacement in the radial direction of the lid member occurs between the lid member and the fuel pump, the force from the support member is received by the plate portion .   2. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the support member has a uniform outer diameter from an end portion on the lid member side to an end portion on the fuel pump side. The lid member has a protrusion that protrudes inward from the end of the protrusion on the fuel pump side to the inside of the hole.
The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is press-fitted into an inner peripheral side of the support member formed in a hollow shape.   The projection has an opening in the middle of the axial direction, and the opening penetrates the side wall of the projection forming the hole in the radial direction, and the locking member is connected to the support member from the opening. The fuel supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, to which is attached.

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