JP4151626B2 - Fuel cutoff valve and fuel cutoff valve mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cutoff valve that is disposed in a fuel tank and opens and closes a connection passage that connects the inside and outside of the fuel tank, and a mounting structure thereof.

  Conventionally, as a so-called in-tank structure in which a fuel shut-off valve is attached to an upper tank wall in a fuel tank, for example, techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. That is, a bracket is provided on the inner wall of the upper tank wall of the fuel tank, and a valve side mounting portion of the fuel cutoff valve is attached to this bracket. The fuel shut-off valve prevents the interference of the tubes fastened to the fuel shut-off valve with the tank upper wall, and prevents the deformation of the fuel tank from affecting the fuel shut-off valve in the event of a collision. A predetermined gap is separated from the inner wall of the wall. However, in the above conventional technology, it is necessary to assemble the fuel shut-off valve to the bracket with the gap floating from the inner wall of the tank upper wall, and the alignment is troublesome and the assembly workability is not good. There was a problem to say. In particular, the fuel shut-off valve needs to be assembled in a narrow space with unevenness on the upper wall of the tank in a state where a tube or the like is connected in advance, and skill is required for work.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-12051 JP 7-35255 A

  The present invention has been made in view of solving the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a fuel cutoff valve and a fuel cutoff valve mounting structure capable of easily mounting a fuel cutoff valve on a bracket on a tank upper wall. And

The present invention made to solve the above problems
A casing having a valve chamber and a connection passage for connecting the valve chamber to the outside; a float housed in the valve chamber for opening and closing the connection passage; and a valve side mounting portion provided at an upper portion of the casing; A fuel shut-off valve that opens and closes the connection passage with the float according to the fuel level in the fuel tank;
The valve-side mounting portion is supported in a state where it is provided in a tank upper wall that is in the fuel tank and forms an upper portion of the fuel tank, and the upper portion of the fuel cutoff valve is separated from the tank upper wall by a predetermined distance. A bracket having a bracket side mounting portion;
A fuel shut-off valve mounting structure comprising:
The valve side mounting portion has a valve mounting body having a fitting portion that is fitted to the bracket side mounting portion, and a guide surface that guides the fitting portion to the bracket side mounting portion,
The guide surface is configured such that when the fitting portion is moved toward the bracket side mounting portion from a state where the upper surface of the valve mounting body is in close contact with the tank upper wall, the upper surface of the valve mounting body is It was configured to guide the fitting part to the bracket side mounting part while gradually widening the gap with the upper wall,
It is characterized by.

In the fuel cutoff valve mounting structure according to the present invention, the valve side mounting portion of the fuel cutoff valve is attached to a bracket provided on the tank upper wall. The valve-side mounting portion has a guide surface that guides the fitting portion to the bracket-side mounting portion. The guide surface gradually closes the gap between the upper surface of the valve mounting body and the tank upper wall when the fitting portion is moved toward the bracket side mounting portion from the state where the upper surface of the valve mounting body is in close contact with the tank upper wall. Guide the fitting part to the bracket side mounting part while spreading it.
Therefore, when attaching the fuel shut-off valve to the bracket, if the valve-side mounting part provided on the upper part of the fuel shut-off valve is placed on the tank upper wall and moved toward the bracket, the valve-side mounting part is guided by the guide surface. Therefore, even if the bracket is provided in a narrow recess on the upper wall of the tank, there is no need for the troublesome work of adjusting and attaching the fuel shut-off valve in the vertical direction. Excellent assembly workability.

Moreover, the other aspect of this invention is related with the fuel cutoff valve attached to the bracket of a fuel tank. Furthermore, the guide surface may be provided integrally with the tank upper wall or the bracket in the vicinity of the bracket, in addition to the fuel cutoff valve.
As a preferable aspect of the guide surface, it can be configured from an inclined surface formed from the upper surface of the casing toward the fitting portion.

  In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

(1) Schematic configuration of fuel cutoff valve mounting structure FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a configuration in which a fuel cutoff valve 20 is attached to a fuel tank 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a fuel cutoff valve of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which expanded the vicinity of 20. FIG. The fuel tank 10 is formed by a two-part body made of a metal upper half 12 and a lower half 14, and is configured by joining them together. The fuel cutoff valve 20 regulates the outflow of fuel to the outside when fuel in the fuel tank 10 rises to a predetermined liquid level during refueling or when the vehicle tilts or swings. The fuel cutoff valve 20 is attached to the tank upper wall 12a via a bracket 16.

(2) Configuration of Fuel Shutoff Valve 20 Next, the configuration of the fuel cutoff valve 20 will be described. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the fuel cutoff valve 20. The fuel cutoff valve 20 includes a casing 30, a float 50 accommodated in the valve chamber 30 </ b> S of the casing 30, and a spring 55 that biases the float 50 as main components.

  The casing 30 includes a casing main body 31, a tube part 35 formed integrally with the upper portion of the casing main body 31, and a bottom lid 38 attached to the lower portion of the casing main body 31. Thus, a valve chamber 30S is formed. The casing main body 31 has a cup shape including a ceiling wall 32 and a cylindrical side wall 33. A connection passage 32b passes through the center of the ceiling wall 32, and the conical seal portion 32c is formed on the valve passage 30S side of the connection passage 32b. The side wall 33 is formed with a vent hole 33a that allows the fuel tank 10 and the valve chamber 30S to communicate with each other. Further, a lid side passage 35a is formed in the tube body portion 35. One end side of the lid side passage 35a is connected to the fuel tank 10 via the valve chamber 30S, and the other end side is a tube (see FIG. 1). Is connected to the canister side.

  In addition, a communication hole 38 a that communicates the valve chamber 30 </ b> S and the inside of the fuel tank is formed at the center of the bottom cover 38. Therefore, the inside of the fuel tank 10 communicates with the valve chamber 30S through the vent hole 33a and the communication hole 38a of the side wall 33. An annular spring support portion 38 b is formed at the center upper portion of the bottom lid 38. The spring support portion 38 b supports the spring 55 between the inner lower surface of the float 50.

  The float 50 is housed in the valve chamber 30S, and includes a container-shaped float main body 51. The inner space is a buoyancy chamber 51a for generating buoyancy. On the upper part of the float body 51, a substantially conical valve portion 51b is projected. The valve portion 51b is configured to open and close the connection passage 32b by being separated from the seal portion 32c by raising and lowering the float 50. In addition, guide protrusions 51 c are provided on the outer periphery of the float 50 so as to protrude in a plurality of locations in the vertical direction in order to improve the slidability with respect to the inner wall surface of the casing body 31.

(3) Configuration of Bracket 16 and Valve Side Mounting Part 36 A valve side mounting part 36 for mounting the fuel cutoff valve 20 to the fuel tank 10 is formed at the upper part of the casing body 31. FIG. 4 is a top view of the fuel cutoff valve 20, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory view illustrating a configuration in which the valve side mounting portion 36 of the fuel cutoff valve 20 is attached to the bracket 16.
The bracket 16 includes a bracket body 16a having a U-shaped cross section. The bracket body 16a is formed by bending attachment bases 16c and 16c from both ends of the flat plate part 16b, and is spot welded to the tank upper wall 12a by the attachment bases 16c and 16c. The flat plate portion 16b includes a U-shaped notch 16d with one end open, and the opening end of the notch 16d serves as a guide taper portion 16e. An edge portion along the notch 16d serves as a bracket side mounting portion 16f for mounting the valve side mounting portion 36.

The valve-side mounting portion 36 includes a substantially U-shaped arm-shaped valve mounting body 36a. The valve mounting body 36a is supported by vertical walls 36b, ribs 36c and legs 36d, and includes an upper surface portion 36e and a lower surface portion 36f, and a fitting portion 36g which is a U-shaped gap is formed therebetween. ing. The fitting portion 36g is formed so as to be fitted to the bracket side mounting portion 16f of the bracket 16. An engaging portion 36i having a claw 36h extends from the U-shaped root of the valve mounting body 36a. The claw 36h engages with the end portion of the bracket 16 so as to prevent the fuel cutoff valve 20 from being pulled out and to confirm the engaged state visually. As shown in FIG. 2, when the valve-side mounting portion 36 of the fuel cutoff valve 20 is attached to the bracket 16, the uppermost surface of the fuel cutoff valve 20, that is, the upper surface portion 36e of the valve-side mounting portion 36 is in relation to the tank upper wall 12a. They are separated by a predetermined gap L1 (4.5 to 10 mm). The predetermined gap L1 prevents the fuel cutoff valve 20 from interfering with the fuel tank 10 and also acts as a buffer to prevent damage to the fuel cutoff valve 20 even when the fuel tank 10 is deformed.
Returning to FIG. 5, a guide surface 36 j is formed on the bracket 16. The guide surface 36j is an inclined surface that rises from the upper surface of the casing 30 toward the fitting portion 36g, that is, an inclined surface that guides the bracket side mounting portion 16f of the bracket 16 to the fitting portion 36g.

(4) Operation of the fuel cutoff valve 20 Next, the operation of the fuel cutoff valve 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, when fuel is supplied into the fuel tank 10 by refueling, the fuel vapor accumulated in the upper part of the fuel tank 10 as the fuel liquid level in the fuel tank 10 rises passes through the casing 30. It escapes to the canister side through the air holes 33a and the communication holes 38a, the valve chamber 30S, the connection passage 32b, and the lid side passage 35a. When the fuel level in the fuel tank 10 reaches a predetermined level, the fuel flows into the valve chamber 30S through the communication hole 38a at the bottom. As a result, buoyancy is generated in the float 50 and the float 50 rises and the valve portion 51b of the float 50 is seated on the seal portion 32c to close the connection passage 32b, so that fuel does not flow out to the canister side. In addition to refueling, the fuel can be prevented from flowing out of the fuel tank 10 when the fuel level in the fuel tank 10 rises even when the vehicle swings or tilts.

(5) Installation Work of Fuel Shutoff Valve Next, an operation for mounting the fuel shutoff valve 20 on the tank upper wall 12a of the fuel tank 10 will be described. 6 to 8 are explanatory views for explaining the mounting operation of the fuel cutoff valve 20. First, the upper half part 12 of the fuel tank 10 is prepared, and the inner wall of the upper half part 12 faces upward. The upper half 12 is uneven for reasons such as attaching each component or increasing the volume. A bracket 16 is welded and fixed to the upper surface of the upper half 12 in advance. On the other hand, a tube, a connector and the like are assembled to the fuel cutoff valve 20.
Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the fuel cutoff valve 20 is held upside down and is held in the hand so that the upper surface portion 36 e of the valve side mounting portion 36 is brought into contact with the tank upper wall 12 a. At this time, the engaging portion 36i is brought into a state facing the opening of the notch 16d of the bracket 16. Thereafter, the fuel cutoff valve 20 is moved toward the bracket 16 while keeping the upper surface portion 36e along the tank upper wall 12a. 7, the guide surface 36j comes into contact with the guide taper portion 16e along the edge of the notch 16d, and the fuel cutoff valve 20 is guided so as to move slightly upward. As shown in FIG. 8, the fitting portion 36g is fitted to the bracket side mounting portion 16f. At this time, the claw 36 h is engaged with the end portion of the bracket 16, and the valve side mounting portion 36 is prevented from being pulled out from the bracket 16. Thereby, the fuel cutoff valve 20 is attached to the bracket 16. In this state, the fuel cutoff valve 20 is attached to the tank upper wall 12a with the upper surface portion 36e of the valve side attachment portion 36 separated by a predetermined gap L1 (see FIG. 2).

(6) With the configuration of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(6) -1 In order to attach the fuel cutoff valve 20 to the bracket 16, the valve-side attachment portion 36 provided at the upper part of the fuel cutoff valve 20 is placed on the tank upper wall 12a and moved toward the bracket 16. The side mounting portion 36 is guided by the guide surface 36j and assembled to the bracket 16. Therefore, even when the bracket 16 is provided in a narrow recess in the tank upper wall 12a, the troublesome work of attaching the fuel cutoff valve 20 while adjusting it in the vertical direction is not necessary. Excellent in properties.

(6) -2 The guide surface 36j for guiding the fitting portion 36g of the fuel cutoff valve 20 to the bracket side mounting portion 16f of the bracket 16 can be formed integrally with the valve side mounting portion 36. A simple configuration may be used without increasing.

(6) -3 The valve mounting body 36a is formed in a U shape, and the upper surface portion 36e is the uppermost surface of the fuel cutoff valve 20. Therefore, when the fuel cutoff valve 20 is attached to the bracket 16, the tube portion Since the upper portion such as 35 does not come into contact with the tank upper wall 12a and does not wobble, the posture of the fuel shut-off valve 20 can be stably performed.

(7) The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment. The present embodiment is characterized in that the guide surface is formed on the tank upper wall 12a instead of the fuel cutoff valve. A guide surface 12Bb protrudes from one end of the bracket 16 on the tank upper wall 12a. When the fitting portion 36Bg is moved toward the bracket side mounting portion 16f from the state in which the upper surface of the valve mounting body 36Ba of the fuel cutoff valve 20B is in close contact with the tank upper wall 12a, the guide surface 12Bb is the valve mounting body 36Ba. The upper surface of the rim guides the fitting portion 36Bg to the mounting surface portion while gradually widening the gap with the tank upper wall 12a. As a result, the fuel cutoff valve 20B is attached to the tank upper wall 12a via the valve-side attachment portion 36B. Thus, even if the guide surface 12Bb is provided on the tank upper wall 12a, the effect of facilitating the assembly work described above can be obtained.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory view for explaining a modification of the embodiment of FIG. This modification is characterized in that the guide surface is provided integrally with the bracket 16C instead of the tank upper wall. That is, extending portions 17C and 17C project from the ends of the mounting base portions 16Cc and 16Cc of the bracket 16C and on the opening side of the notch 16Cd. A guide surface 17Ca is formed on each extending portion 17C. The guide surface 17Ca guides the valve side mounting portion of the fuel cutoff valve. According to this configuration, the guide surface 17Ca can be easily formed simultaneously with the pressing of the bracket 16C.

It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure which attached the fuel cutoff valve to the fuel tank concerning one Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which expanded the vicinity of the fuel cutoff valve of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows a fuel cutoff valve. It is a top view of a fuel cutoff valve. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure which attaches the valve side attaching part of a fuel cutoff valve to a bracket. It is explanatory drawing explaining the operation | work which attaches a fuel cutoff valve to the bracket of a tank upper wall. It is explanatory drawing explaining the operation | work following FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the operation | work following FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the operation | work which attaches the fuel cutoff valve concerning another Example to a tank upper wall. It is explanatory drawing explaining the modification of the Example of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Fuel tank 12 ... Upper half 12a ... Tank upper wall 14 ... Lower half 16 ... Bracket 16a ... Bracket main body 16b ... Flat plate part 16c ... Mounting base 16d ... Notch 16e ... Guide taper part 16f ... Bracket side mounting part 20 ... Fuel cutoff valve 30 ... Casing 30S ... Valve chamber 31 ... Casing body 32 ... Ceiling Wall 32b ... Connection passage 32c ... Seal part 33 ... Side wall 33a ... Vent hole 35 ... Tube part 35a ... Land side passage 36 ... Valve side attachment part 36a ... Valve mounting body 36b ... Vertical wall 36c ... Rib 36d ... Leg 36e ... Upper surface part 36f ... Lower surface part 36g ... Fitting part 36h ... Claw 36i ... Engagement Part 36j ... guide surface 38 ... bottom cover 38a ... communication hole 38b ... spring support part 50 ... float 51 ... float body 51a ... buoyancy chamber 51b ... valve part 51c ... Guide ridge 55 ... Spring 12Bb ... Guide surface 20B ... Fuel shutoff valve 36B ... Valve side mounting part 36Ba ... Valve mounting body 36Bg ... Fitting part 16C ... Bracket 16Cc ... Mounting base 16Cd ... Notch 17C ... Extension part 17Ca ... Guide surface

Claims (4)

A casing (30) having a valve chamber (30S) and a connection passage (32b) for connecting the valve chamber (30S) to the outside, and a float housed in the valve chamber (30S) for opening and closing the connection passage (32b) (50) and a valve-side mounting portion (36) provided at the upper part of the casing (30), and the connection passage in the float (50) according to the fuel level in the fuel tank (10). A fuel cutoff valve (20) for opening and closing (32b);
It is provided in a tank upper wall (12a) that is in the fuel tank (10) and forms the upper part of the fuel tank (10), and the upper part of the fuel cutoff valve (20) is connected to the tank upper wall (12a) and a predetermined A bracket (16) having a bracket side mounting portion (16f) for supporting the valve side mounting portion (36) in a state of being separated by a distance;
A fuel shut-off valve mounting structure comprising:
The valve side mounting portion (36) includes the valve mounting body (36a) having a fitting portion (36g) fitted to the bracket side mounting portion (16f), and the fitting to the bracket side mounting portion (16f). A guide surface (36j) for guiding the joint (36g),
The guide surface (36j) faces the fitting portion (36g) toward the bracket side mounting portion (16f) from a state in which the upper surface of the valve mounting body (36a) is in close contact with the tank upper wall (12a). The upper surface of the valve mounting body (36a) guides the fitting part (36g) to the bracket side mounting part (16f) while gradually widening the gap with the tank upper wall (12a). Configured as
A fuel shut-off valve mounting structure. A bracket-side mounting portion (16f) of a bracket (16) provided in a tank upper wall (12a) that is in the fuel tank (10) and constitutes the upper portion of the fuel tank (10) is connected to the tank upper wall (12a ) And a fuel shut-off valve attached with a predetermined distance
A casing (30) having a valve chamber (30S) and a connection passage (32b) for connecting the valve chamber (30S) to the outside, and a float housed in the valve chamber (30S) for opening and closing the connection passage (32b) (50) and a valve-side mounting portion (36) provided at the upper part of the casing (30), and the connection passage in the float (50) according to the fuel level in the fuel tank (10). (32b) is configured to open and close,
The valve side mounting portion (36) includes the valve mounting body (36a) having a fitting portion (36g) fitted to the bracket side mounting portion (16f), and the fitting to the bracket side mounting portion (16f). A guide surface (36j) for guiding the joint (36g),
The guide surface (36j) faces the fitting portion (36g) toward the bracket side mounting portion (16f) from a state in which the upper surface of the valve mounting body (36a) is in close contact with the tank upper wall (12a). The upper surface of the valve mounting body (36a) guides the fitting portion (36g) to the bracket side mounting portion (16f) while gradually widening the gap with the tank upper wall (12a). Configured as
A fuel shut-off valve characterized by A casing (30) having a valve chamber (30S) and a connection passage (32b) for connecting the valve chamber (30S) to the outside, and a float housed in the valve chamber (30S) for opening and closing the connection passage (32b) (50) and a valve-side mounting portion (36B) formed on the upper portion of the casing (30), and a connection passage (in the float (50) according to the fuel level in the fuel tank (10) ( A fuel shut-off valve (20B) for opening and closing 32b);
It is provided in a tank upper wall (12a) that is in the fuel tank (10) and forms the upper part of the fuel tank (10), and the upper part of the fuel shutoff valve (20B) is connected to the tank upper wall (12a) and a predetermined A bracket (16) having a bracket side mounting portion (16f) that supports the valve side mounting portion (36B) in a state of being separated by a distance;
A fuel shut-off valve mounting structure comprising:
The valve side mounting portion (36B) has a valve mounting body (36Ba) having a fitting portion (36Bg) to be fitted to the bracket side mounting portion (16f).
The tank upper wall (12a) has a guide surface (12Bb) for guiding the fitting portion (36Bg) to the bracket side attachment portion (16f),
The guide surface (12Bb) faces the fitting portion (36Bg) toward the bracket side mounting portion (16f) from a state where the upper surface of the valve mounting body (36Ba) is in close contact with the tank upper wall (12a). The upper surface of the valve mounting body (36Ba) gradually guides the fitting portion (36Bg) to the bracket side mounting portion (16f) while gradually widening the gap with the tank upper wall (12a). Configured as
A fuel shut-off valve mounting structure. A casing having a valve chamber and a connection passage for connecting the valve chamber to the outside; a float housed in the valve chamber for opening and closing the connection passage; and a valve-side mounting portion formed on an upper portion of the casing; A fuel cutoff valve that opens and closes the connection passage with the float according to the fuel level in the fuel tank;
The valve-side mounting portion is supported in a state that is provided in a tank upper wall that is in the fuel tank and constitutes an upper portion of the fuel tank, and that the upper portion of the fuel cutoff valve is separated from the tank upper wall by a predetermined distance. A bracket having a bracket side mounting portion;
A fuel shut-off valve mounting structure comprising:
The valve side mounting portion has a valve mounting body having a fitting portion to be fitted to the bracket side mounting portion,
The bracket (16C) has a guide surface (17Ca) for guiding the fitting portion to the bracket-side mounting portion.
The guide surface (17Ca) is a top surface of the valve mounting body when the fitting portion is moved toward the bracket side mounting portion from a state in which the top surface of the valve mounting body is in close contact with the tank upper wall. Is configured to guide the fitting portion to the bracket side mounting portion while gradually widening the gap with the tank upper wall,
A fuel shut-off valve mounting structure.

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