JP7174338B2 - Vehicle fuel filler structure - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a fuel filler opening structure for a fuel tank provided in a vehicle.

Patent Literature 1 describes a fuel filler port unit including a resin filler port guide fitted to a filler tube and a metal reinforcing leg. The filler port guide and the reinforcing leg are integrally assembled, and the inner peripheral portion thereof serves as a guide hole for guiding the insertion of the filler nozzle. A shutter is attached to the fuel tank side end of the fuel filler port guide via a hinge and a torsion coil spring so as to be rotatably biased to close the guide hole in a normal state. When refueling, the shutter is pushed open by the tip of the refueling nozzle, and refueling is performed. The publication also shows a state in which a shaft supporting portion for rotatably supporting a hinge shaft of a hinge is integrally formed with a resin filler port guide.

Metal fuel tanks and filler pipes (filler tubes) are widely used in some vehicles such as trucks for strength reasons. When installing an inlet such as the filler port guide that defines the space, it is possible to fix the metal inlet inside the filler pipe by welding or the like.

In addition, when a metal inlet is provided with a flap such as the shutter for opening and closing the insertion space of the fuel nozzle, a metal flap support member is fixed to the inlet by welding or the like, and the flap is rotatable by the flap support member. It is possible to support

JP-A-6-262954

However, if the flap support member is simply fixed to the inlet, the flap support member may be damaged or detached when an excessive load is unintentionally applied to the flap support member from the inserted fuel nozzle. , the flap may not be able to open and close.

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle fuel filler opening structure capable of preventing the flap from being unable to be opened and closed due to a load input from the fuel filler nozzle.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fuel filler port structure for a vehicle in which a filler pipe opening to the outside of the fuel tank at one end and opening to the inside of the fuel tank at the other end defines a fuel supply passage to the fuel tank. and includes an inlet, a flap support member, a flap, and a biasing member.

In one aspect of the present invention, the inlet is fixed inside the filler pipe and has a cylindrical shape having a nozzle insertion opening on one end side of the filler pipe, and a nozzle insertion space into which the fuel nozzle is inserted from the nozzle insertion opening. Partition inside. The flap support member integrally has a pivot portion and a reinforcement portion, is arranged in the nozzle insertion space, and is fixed to the inlet. The flap is arranged in the nozzle insertion space, and is rotatably supported by the pivot of the flap support member to open and close the nozzle insertion opening. The biasing member biases the flap in a direction to close the nozzle insertion opening. A reinforcing portion of the flap support member extends from the pivot to the opposite side of the nozzle insertion opening and is fixed to the inlet. The inlet has a collar that forms part of the periphery of the nozzle insertion opening and covers the nozzle insertion opening side of the flap support member. The nozzle insertion opening has a substantially elliptical shape with a brim section defining the periphery on the minor diameter side.

A worker who supplies fuel removes a fuel cap that is detachably attached to the filler pipe and seals the filler port, and inserts a fuel nozzle through the opened fuel filler port. When the tip of the refueling nozzle passes through the nozzle insertion opening of the inlet, the flap in the closed position is pushed by the tip of the refueling nozzle and tilts in the opening direction against the biasing force of the biasing member, thereby closing the nozzle insertion space. Allow entry of the refueling nozzle into the The operator refuels with the refueling nozzle inserted into the nozzle insertion space, and when refueling is completed, the refueling nozzle is pulled out from the nozzle insertion space and the filler pipe, and a refueling cap is attached to seal the refueling port.

In the above configuration, when the operator pulls out the fuel nozzle, the flap is tilted in the closing direction by the biasing force of the biasing member to close the nozzle insertion opening. Therefore, even if the vehicle is driven while forgetting to close the fuel cap, the flap can prevent the fuel from flowing out of the fuel tank.

Since the inlet is attached (fixed) to the filler pipe, the same fuel filler port structure can be applied to various filler pipes having different shapes of fuel tanks, and parts can be shared.

Since the flap is rotatably supported on the filler pipe side (flap support member) and urged in the closing direction by the urging member, the flap is formed of a leaf spring material and fixed on the filler pipe side. , space can be saved.

Since the reinforcing portion is provided integrally with the flap support member, even if an excessive load is unintentionally applied to the flap support member from the inserted fuel nozzle, the flap support member will not be damaged or damaged. Detachment is unlikely to occur, and the inability to open and close the flap can be prevented.

Further, since the reinforcing portion of the flap support member extends from the pivot to the opposite side of the nozzle insertion opening and is fixed to the inlet, the tip of the fuel nozzle does not interfere with the reinforcing portion before reaching the nozzle insertion opening. , the fuel nozzle can be smoothly inserted into the nozzle insertion opening.

In addition , since the flange reliably prevents interference between the tip of the fuel nozzle inserted toward the nozzle insertion opening and the flap support member, damage to the flap support member can be prevented.

In addition, since the nozzle insertion opening is formed in an elliptical shape, it is possible to secure an air passage for bleeding air between the fuel supply nozzle and the nozzle insertion opening during refueling .

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of inability to open and close the flap due to the load input from the fuel nozzle.

1 is an external perspective view of a fuel tank according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a view of the filler pipe with the flap moved to open, viewed from the inside of the tank (in the direction of arrow III in FIG. 2); FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of an inlet with a flap attached; It is an external appearance perspective view of a flap. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately after insertion of the fuel nozzle; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in the middle of inserting the fuel nozzle; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state when the insertion of the fuel nozzle is completed; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the fuel nozzle during fueling;

Hereinafter, a fuel filler opening structure according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A vehicle to which the fuel filler opening structure of the present embodiment is applied is, for example, a commercial vehicle such as a truck, and the fuel tank 1 is fixedly supported in an exposed state on a body frame (not shown) at the bottom of the vehicle. . Note that an arrow UP in the figure indicates upward.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fuel tank 1 has a rectangular box shape defining a fuel storage space 2 in which liquid fuel is stored, and is made of a metal plate material for reasons such as strength. . A circular metal filler pipe 4 is fixed to the upper portion of the fuel tank 1 to define an oil supply passage 3 to the fuel storage space 2 .

The filler pipe 4 has a filler port 5 at its upper end (one end) facing obliquely upward and opening to the outside of the fuel tank 1 (outside the fuel storage space 2), and a lower end (other end) opening 6 inside the tank for fuel. It is inserted through the tank opening 7 of the fuel tank 1 in a state of opening inside the tank 1 (positioned in the fuel storage space 2 and opening), and is fixed to the inner peripheral edge of the tank opening 7 by welding. Such welding seals the space between the outer peripheral surface of the filler pipe 4 and the inner peripheral edge of the tank opening 7 . An oil filler cap 8 is detachably attached to the oil filler port 5 of the filler pipe 4 to seal the filler port 5 . A cylindrical metal inlet 10 shorter than the full length of the filler pipe 4 is fixed to the inner lower portion of the filler pipe 4 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the inlet 10 is fixed to the filler pipe 4 by welding with the outer peripheral surface of the inlet 10 close to or in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the filler pipe 4 . A doughnut-shaped inlet end surface 11 protruding inward is integrally formed by burring or the like on substantially the entire inner peripheral edge of the upper end of the inlet 10 (the end on the fuel filler port 5 side). The inner peripheral surface of the inlet 10 defines a nozzle insertion space 12 , and the inner peripheral edge of the inlet end face portion 11 defines a nozzle insertion opening 13 . The lower end of the inlet 10 (the end on the other end side) is arranged to substantially match the lower edge of the filler pipe 4 and opens to the fuel storage space 2 inside the in-tank opening 6 . A fuel nozzle 50 (see FIG. 7) inserted from the fuel filler port 5 of the filler pipe 4 enters the nozzle insertion space 12 through the nozzle insertion opening 13 . In this way, the inlet 10 defines inside the nozzle insertion space 12 into which the fuel nozzle 50 is inserted from the nozzle insertion opening 13 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , a metal flap support member 20 is arranged in the nozzle insertion space 12 of the inlet 10 . The flap support member 20 is a plate-like member integrally having a rectangular plate-like support substrate portion 21 and two standing plate portions 22 that are bent from both end edges of the support substrate portion 21 and face each other. The projection height of the upright plate portion 22 from the support substrate portion 21 is set to be high on one end side and low on the other end side. A shaft insertion hole 23 is formed in each upright plate portion 22 on one end side where the protrusion height is high.

A region of a part (upper portion in this embodiment) of the peripheral wall of the inlet 10 constitutes a support member fixing portion 14 formed in a flat plate shape. 21 are fixed to the inlet 10 by welding in a state of surface contact. The flap support member 20 is fixed to the inlet 10 with one end side thereof on the fuel filler port 5 side and the other end side thereof on the tank inner opening 6 side. Separate. One end side of the flap support member 20 (the area connecting the one end side of each standing plate portion 22 and the standing plate portion 22 on the one end side of the support substrate portion 21) rotates the flap 30 via a rotation shaft 33 described later. A shaft support portion 24 for freely supporting is formed, and the shaft insertion holes 23 are formed in the two standing plate portions 22 (shaft support plate portions 26) of the shaft support portion 24, respectively. The other end side of the flap support member 20 (the other end side of each upright plate portion 22 and the area connecting the upright plate portion 22 on the other end side of the support substrate portion 21) extends from the pivot portion 24 to the nozzle insertion opening. A reinforcing portion 25 extending to the opposite side of 13 (in-tank opening 6 side) to reinforce the pivot portion 24 is formed. The supporting substrate portion 21 of the present embodiment is spot-welded to the inlet 10 at one or more pivotal support portions 24 and one or more reinforcement portions 25, in total two or more positions.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, a flap 30 for opening and closing the nozzle insertion opening 13 is arranged in the nozzle insertion space 12. As shown in FIG. The flap 30 is a plate-shaped member having a substantially circular outer periphery, and two flat plate-shaped shaft connections are inserted between the two shaft support plate portions 26 of the flap support member 20 at the peripheral edge of the flap 30 . A plate portion 31 is integrally formed. Each shaft connection plate portion 31 is formed with a shaft insertion hole 32 (see FIG. 6) that communicates with the shaft insertion hole 23 of each shaft support plate portion 26, and a rotating shaft 33 is inserted through these shaft insertion holes 23 and 32. do. A hinge mechanism 34 is constituted by the shaft support plate portion 26 , the shaft connection plate portion 31 and the rotation shaft 33 , and the flap 30 is supported by the flap support member 20 so as to be freely rotatable about the rotation shaft 33 . The closed position of the flap 30 is defined by the outer surface 35 of the flap 30 (the surface on the filler port 5 side) coming into contact with substantially the entire peripheral area of the inlet end surface 11 from the other side (tank inner opening 6 side). The opening 13 is opened by tilting the flap 30 at the closed position toward the fuel storage space 2 (toward the in-tank opening 6). Axial movement of the flap 30 (movement along the rotation shaft 33 ) is restricted by the contact of the shaft connection plate portion 31 with the shaft support plate portion 26 .

A coil spring (biasing member) 40 is arranged between the two shaft connecting plate portions 31 , and the rotary shaft 33 is inserted through the inner diameter portion of the coil spring 40 . One end portion 41 and the other end portion 42 of the coil spring 40 are in contact with the support base portion 21 of the flap support member 20 and the inner surface (surface on the tank inner opening 6 side) 36 of the flap 30, respectively. A spring 40 biases the nozzle insertion opening 13 in a closing direction (closed position).

In the upper region of the inlet end surface 11 facing the flap support member 20, the projection height of the inlet end surface 11 with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the inlet 10 is set higher than the other regions, so that the flap support member 20 can be inserted into the nozzle. A collar portion 15 covering the opening 13 side is configured, and the nozzle insertion opening 13 is set in a substantially elliptical shape in which the upper side of the opposed minor diameter side peripheral portions is defined by the collar portion 15 (see FIG. 3).

When refueling the fuel tank 1 , the operator removes the refueling cap 8 from the refueling port 5 and inserts the refueling nozzle 50 through the opened refueling port 5 . When the tip of the fuel nozzle 50 passes through the nozzle insertion opening 13 of the inlet 10 (see FIG. 7), the flap 30 in the closed position is pushed against the biasing force of the coil spring 40 by being pushed by the tip of the fuel nozzle 50. It tilts in the opening direction to allow entry of the fuel nozzle 50 into the nozzle insertion space 12 (see FIG. 8). After fully inserting the refueling nozzle 50 (see FIG. 9), the worker refuels with the base end side of the refueling nozzle 50 lowered and the flap 30 lifted to the maximum opening position (see FIG. 10). After that, the fuel nozzle 50 is pulled out from the nozzle insertion space 12 and the filler pipe 4, and the fuel filler cap 8 is attached to seal the fuel filler port 5. As shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, when the operator pulls out the fuel nozzle 50 , the flap 30 is tilted in the closing direction by the biasing force of the coil spring 40 to close the nozzle insertion opening 13 . Therefore, the flap 30 can prevent the fuel from flowing out of the fuel tank 1 even when the vehicle is driven with the fuel cap 8 forgotten to be closed.

Since the inlet 10 is attached (fixed) to the filler pipe 4, the same fuel filler opening structure can be applied to various filler pipes 4 having different shapes of fuel tanks, and parts can be shared.

Since the flap 30 is rotatably supported by the flap support member 20 on the filler pipe 4 side and biased in the closing direction by the coil spring 40, the flap is formed of a leaf spring material and fixed to the filler pipe 4 side. Compared to , space can be saved.

Since the reinforcing portion 25 is provided integrally with the flap support member 20, even if an excessive load is unintentionally applied from the fuel nozzle 50 to the flap support member 20 when the fuel nozzle 50 is inserted or when fuel is supplied. Even if there is, the flap supporting member 20 is unlikely to be damaged or detached, and the inability to open and close the flap 30 can be prevented.

The reinforcement portion 25 of the flap support member 20 extends from the pivot portion 24 to the opposite side of the nozzle insertion opening 13 and is fixed to the inlet 10 . The fuel nozzle 50 can be smoothly inserted into the nozzle insertion opening 13 without interfering with the nozzle insertion opening 13 .

Since the flange portion 15 reliably prevents interference between the tip of the fuel nozzle 50 inserted toward the nozzle insertion opening 13 and the flap support member 20, damage to the flap support member 20 can be prevented.

Further, since the nozzle insertion opening 13 into which the cylindrical fuel nozzle 50 is inserted is made elliptical, it is possible to secure an air passage for bleeding between the fuel nozzle 50 and the nozzle insertion opening 13 during fueling. can.

Although the embodiment to which the invention made by the present inventor is applied has been described above, the present invention is not limited by the statements and drawings forming a part of the disclosure of the present invention according to this embodiment. In other words, all other embodiments, examples, operation techniques, etc. made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are naturally included in the scope of the present invention.

For example, the shape of the fuel tank is not limited to a rectangular box shape, and can be set to any shape. Also, instead of the coil spring 40, another biasing member (for example, a plate spring or the like) may be used. Alternatively, the flange portion 15 alone may be formed without forming the donut plate-shaped inlet end face portion 11 protruding inward over substantially the entire inner peripheral edge of the upper end portion of the inlet 10 . Further, the shape of the flap support member 20 is not limited to the shape of the present embodiment, and any shape that integrally includes the pivot portion 24 and the reinforcing portion 25 may be used.

The fuel filler opening structure of the present invention can be applied to various fuel tanks provided in vehicles.

1: Fuel tank 2: Fuel storage space 3: Oil supply passage 4: Filler pipe 5: Fuel supply port 6: In-tank opening 7: Tank opening 8: Fuel supply cap 10: Inlet 11: Inlet end surface 12: Nozzle insertion space 13: Nozzle Insertion opening 14: Support member fixing portion 15: Flange portion 20: Flap support member 21: Support substrate portion 22: Standing plate portions 23, 32: Shaft insertion hole 24: Shaft support portion 25: Reinforcement portion 26: Shaft support plate portion 30: Flap 31: Shaft connecting plate portion 33: Rotating shaft 34: Hinge mechanism 35: Outer surface of flap 36: Inner surface of flap 40: Coil spring (biasing member)
41: One end of coil spring 42: Other end of coil spring 50: Refueling nozzle

Claims (1)

A fuel filler port structure for a vehicle in which a filler pipe, one end of which opens to the outside of a fuel tank and the other end of which opens to the inside of the fuel tank, defines a fuel supply passage to the fuel tank,
an inlet that is fixed inside the filler pipe and has a cylindrical shape having a nozzle insertion opening on the one end side of the filler pipe, the inlet defining inside a nozzle insertion space into which a fuel nozzle is inserted from the nozzle insertion opening;
a flap supporting member integrally having a pivotal support portion and a reinforcing portion, disposed in the nozzle insertion space and fixed to the inlet;
a flap disposed in the nozzle insertion space and rotatably supported by the pivot portion of the flap support member to open and close the nozzle insertion opening;
a biasing member that biases the flap in a direction to close the nozzle insertion opening;
the reinforcement portion of the flap support member extends from the pivot portion to the opposite side of the nozzle insertion opening and is fixed to the inlet;
The inlet has a flange that forms a part of the periphery of the nozzle insertion opening and covers the nozzle insertion opening side of the flap support member,
The fuel filler port structure for a vehicle, wherein the nozzle insertion opening has a substantially elliptical shape in which a periphery on a minor axis side is defined by the flange.

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