WO2019188032A1

WO2019188032A1 - Fuel supply device

Info

Publication number: WO2019188032A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/008559
Authority: WO
Inventors: 崇蟹江; 耕史吉田; 盛博武村; 聡志伊藤
Original assignee: 愛三工業株式会社
Priority date: 2018-03-28
Filing date: 2019-03-05
Publication date: 2019-10-03
Also published as: JP2019173630A

Abstract

This fuel supply device configured so that a pump unit can be smoothly inserted from an insertion opening formed in a fuel tank, thereby increasing the easiness of mounting of the fuel supply device to the fuel tank. The pump unit has a pipe joint (70) which leads from a discharge pipe section (63) to a fuel discharge tube (66). The pipe joint (70) is provided at a position where, during the insertion of the pump unit into the fuel tank from an insertion opening formed in the fuel tank, the pipe joint (70) passes the edge of the insertion opening while being close to the edge. The pipe joint (70) has a rib (76) for insertion, which can prevent the edge of the insertion opening of the fuel tank from becoming caught on the pipe joint (70).

Description

Fuel supply device

The present disclosure relates to a fuel supply apparatus.

A vehicle such as an automobile includes an internal combustion engine, that is, an engine and a fuel tank that stores the fuel. A fuel supply device that pumps fuel to the internal combustion engine is disposed inside the fuel tank. Such a fuel supply device includes a lid-side unit integrated with a fuel tank, a pump-side unit disposed so as to be landed on the inner bottom of the fuel tank, and the pump-side unit and the lid-side unit connected to each other. Connecting mechanism. Here, the pump side unit is supported via a coupling mechanism with respect to the lid side unit integrated with the fuel tank, and is landed on the inner bottom of the fuel tank (see, for example, International Publication No. 2017/141628). .

When assembling such a fuel supply device to the fuel tank, the pump side unit and the coupling mechanism are inserted into the inside through the insertion opening provided in the upper part of the fuel tank. At this time, the pump side unit is inserted in the insertion posture. The insertion posture is a posture inclined from the landing posture landing on the inner bottom of the fuel tank according to the opening area of the insertion opening. That is, since the sub-tank (fuel storage part) that lands on the inner bottom has a shape that extends horizontally, the sub-tank that has a shape that extends horizontally is inclined to open the opening of the insertion opening. It fits within the area.

In the above pump side unit, a fuel pump for discharging fuel is provided, and a pressure regulator for adjusting the fuel supplied to the engine is provided. That is, surplus fuel exceeding the amount of fuel supplied to the engine among the fuel discharged from the fuel pump can be discharged toward the sub tank. For this reason, the discharge pipe from which the fuel is discharged is provided with a discharge passage through the branch pipe, and surplus fuel by the adjustment is guided toward the sub tank by the discharge passage.

As disclosed in International Publication No. 2017/141628, if the above-described configuration of the discharge flow path is provided for the discharge pipe, the “liquid drop” in which the fuel flows out from the pipe when the engine is stopped. May occur. For this reason, as disclosed in International Publication No. 2017/141628, a horizontal hose having a reversed U shape is used as a part of the discharge flow path to suppress the above-mentioned “liquid drop” phenomenon. Such a curved hose is attached so that one end of the curved hose is press-fitted from above into a hose connecting portion provided at the end of the branch pipe. As disclosed in International Publication No. 2017/141628, such a hose connection portion needs to be provided at a position that protrudes most outward from the planar region of the sub tank.

On the other hand, when press-fitting one end of the curved hose into the hose connection part from above, a cradle is arranged below the hose connection part so that the press-fitting load of the curved hose can be received. At the same time, the lower portion of the hose connecting portion is provided with a receiving rib that increases the rigidity of the connecting portion so that the press-fitting load at the time of press-fitting the curved hose is transmitted to the cradle.

On the other hand, when the pump side unit is inserted into the fuel tank as described above and inserted into the fuel tank, the hose connection provided at the most protruded position is the edge of the insertion opening at the top of the fuel tank. Pass through to graze. Therefore, as described above, there is a possibility that the receiving rib provided at the lower portion of the hose connection portion may be caught by the edge of the insertion opening. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved fuel supply device that can smoothly insert the pump side unit from the insertion opening of the fuel tank.

One feature of the present disclosure is that a lid-side unit fixed to the fuel tank, a pump-side unit disposed so as to land on the inner bottom of the fuel tank, and the pump-side unit and the lid-side unit are connected to each other. The pump-side unit includes a discharge flow path for flowing fuel discharged from a fuel pump, a discharge flow path capable of discharging a part of the discharged fuel, and the discharge flow path from the discharge flow path. A connecting portion connected to the discharge flow path, and the connecting portion includes a pump-side unit when the pump-side unit is inserted from the fuel tank insertion opening into the fuel tank. Among these, the connecting portion is provided at a position where it passes close to the edge of the opening for insertion, and the edge of the opening for insertion of the fuel tank is caught by the connecting portion. For insertion that can suppress Having a blanking on its outer surface, a fuel supply system.

According to the above feature, the pump-side unit has a discharge flow path and a discharge flow path capable of discharging a part of the discharged fuel. The “exhaust flow path” is a flow path for discharging surplus fuel that has flowed out of the supply range when the fuel supplied to the engine is adjusted. In addition, as described above, the “discharge flow path” may be provided with a configuration that suppresses the phenomenon of “liquid drop” in which fuel flows out of the pipe when the engine is stopped.

Here, the pump side unit has a connection part that connects from the discharge flow path to the discharge flow path. This connecting portion is provided at a position where the pump-side unit passes through the fuel tank insertion opening in the state close to the edge of the insertion opening when the pump side unit is inserted into the fuel tank. This connecting portion is arranged at a position where it can be closest to the end edge of the insertion opening in the pump side unit when inserted into the fuel tank.

The connecting portion has an insertion rib on its outer surface that can prevent the end of the insertion opening of the fuel tank from being caught by the connecting portion. As a result, when the connection portion passes in a state of being close to the edge of the insertion opening, the connection portion can pass through the insertion rib without being caught by the edge of the insertion opening. Therefore, according to this fuel supply device, the pump side unit can be smoothly inserted from the insertion opening of the fuel tank, so that the assemblability of the fuel supply device to the fuel tank can be improved.

It is a perspective view which shows the fuel supply apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a front view of a fuel supply apparatus. It is a rear view of a fuel supply apparatus. It is a left view of a fuel supply apparatus. It is a right view of a fuel supply apparatus. It is a front view which shows a partially broken pump unit. It is a top view which shows a pump unit. It is a perspective view which shows the peripheral part of a regulator case. It is sectional drawing of the location connected by a pipe joint. It is a perspective view which shows the lower surface side of a pipe joint. It is a bottom view of a pipe joint. It is a bottom view of the pipe joint which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a bottom view of the pipe joint which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a bottom view of the pipe joint which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the process of inserting a fuel supply apparatus into the inside of a fuel tank.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment for carrying out the technology disclosed in this specification will be described with reference to the drawings. The fuel supply apparatus according to the first embodiment is installed in a vehicle such as an automobile. The vehicle has an internal combustion engine, that is, an engine and a fuel tank for storing fuel. A fuel supply device is installed inside the fuel tank so that fuel can be pumped to the internal combustion engine. 1 to 5 show the fuel supply device 10. 1 is a perspective view of the fuel supply device 10, FIG. 2 is a front view of the fuel supply device 10, FIG. 3 is a rear view of the fuel supply device 10, and FIG. 4 is a left side view of the fuel supply device 10. FIG. 5 is a right side view of the fuel supply device 10. For convenience of explanation, the directions of “up, down, front, back, left and right” are defined as shown in the drawings, and are used for the following explanation.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel supply device 10 is attached to a fuel tank 90 (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 2). The fuel tank 90 is a resin molded product. The fuel tank 90 can be elastically deformed by expansion or contraction according to the internal pressure. The fuel tank 90 has an upper wall portion 91 and a bottom wall portion 92. The upper wall portion 91 is provided with an insertion opening 93. The insertion opening 93 forms a circular hole in a top view. The fuel supply device 10 is disposed inside the fuel tank 90 from the insertion opening 93 and sends liquid fuel (not shown) stored in the fuel tank 90 to the internal combustion engine. The upper wall portion 91 corresponds to the “outer wall of the fuel tank” in this specification.

(Fuel supply device 10)
The fuel supply device 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the fuel supply apparatus 10 includes a flange unit 20, a pump unit 50, and a coupling mechanism 40. The coupling mechanism 40 is attached so as to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the flange unit 20. The pump unit 50 is connected to the connection mechanism 40 so as to be rotatable. Incidentally, the flange unit 20 corresponds to the “lid unit” in this specification. The pump unit 50 corresponds to a “pump side unit” in this specification. Further, the connection mechanism 40 is provided between the pump unit 50 and the flange unit 20 so as to connect the pump unit 50 and the flange unit 20.

(Flange unit 20)
As shown in FIG. 2, the flange unit 20 is integrally fixed to the upper wall portion 91. The flange unit 20 includes a flange main body 21 and a vaporized fuel valve 33. The flange main body 21 mainly includes a circular plate-like lid plate portion 22. The flange body 21 is made of resin. A short cylindrical fitting tube portion 23 is formed concentrically on the lower surface of the cover plate portion 22. An annular plate-like flange portion 24 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the cover plate portion 22 so as to protrude outward in the radial direction from the fitting tube portion 23.

The lid plate portion 22 is formed with a concentric cylindrical valve housing portion 25. An evaporation port 26 protruding outward in the radial direction is formed at the upper end portion of the valve housing portion 25. A fuel discharge port 27 is formed in the lid plate portion 22. The fuel discharge port 27 is formed in a straight tubular shape that penetrates the cover plate portion 22 in the vertical direction. The lid plate portion 22 is provided with a first electrical connector portion 31 and a second electrical connector portion 32. A predetermined number of metal terminals are arranged in both

electrical connector portions

31 and 32. The fuel discharge port 27 and both

electrical connector portions

31 and 32 are disposed around the valve housing portion 25.

As shown in FIG. 3, a stand-off portion 35 is formed on the rear side portion of the lower surface of the cover plate portion 22. The stand-off part 35 has a cylindrical central cylinder part 361 and left and right side cylinder parts 362 respectively extending in the vertical direction. Both side cylinder parts 362 are formed symmetrically with each other. The central cylinder part 361 and the both side cylinder parts 362 share the adjacent wall part. Left and right curved wall portions 37 are formed symmetrically on the outer side of the both side cylindrical portions 362. The rear wall portion of the center tube portion 361 and the both side tube portions 362 and both curved wall portions 37 are continuous with the rear half portion of the fitting tube portion 23 of the flange main body 21. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, both curved wall portions 37 are formed in a substantially triangular shape that becomes thinner from the fitting cylinder portion 23 toward the lower side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the evaporated fuel valve 33 is attached in a state where the upper portion is accommodated in the valve accommodating portion 25 of the flange main body 21. As the evaporated fuel valve 33, for example, an integrated valve including an evaporated fuel control valve and a full tank regulating valve is used. The evaporative fuel control valve is closed when the internal pressure of the fuel tank 90 is smaller than a predetermined value, and is opened when the internal pressure becomes larger than the predetermined value. The full tank control valve is opened when the fuel in the fuel tank 90 is not full, and is closed when the fuel is full.

(Coupling mechanism 40)
As shown in FIG. 3, the coupling mechanism 40 includes a joint member 41 and a coil spring 49. The joint member 41 is a resin molded product. The joint member 41 includes a joint body 42 that is a base. The joint main body 42 is integrally provided with a spring guide 46, a left column portion 47 and a right column portion 48. The joint body 42 is formed in a flat shape with a small dimension in the thickness direction, which is the front-rear direction. The joint body 42 is rotatably connected to a pump unit 50 described later. Therefore, an engagement hole 43 penetrating in the front-rear direction is provided in the lower portion of the joint body 42.

The engagement hole 43 is a circular hole into which a cylindrical engagement shaft 53 provided in the pump unit 50 is rotatably fitted. An engagement structure 44 for fitting the engagement shaft 53 into the engagement hole 43 is provided on the left side of the engagement hole 43. The engagement structure 44 has an insertion hole 441 for inserting the engagement shaft 53 before being fitted into the engagement hole 43. Further, a restricting portion 442 that restricts the engagement shaft 53 from being inserted into the insertion hole 441 is provided above the insertion hole 441. The engagement shaft 53 can be fitted into the engagement hole 43 by the engagement structure 44. When the engagement shaft 53 of the pump unit 50 is rotatably engaged with the engagement hole 43 of the joint body 42, the pump unit 50 is rotatably supported with respect to the coupling mechanism 40. That is, the pump unit 50 is connected so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows Y1 and Y2 shown in FIG.

An upper end surface 451 is formed at the upper end of the joint body 42. The upper end surface 451 is formed as a flat surface extending in the horizontal direction in a state where the fuel supply device 10 is installed in the fuel tank 90 (a state where the flange unit 20 is integrally fixed to the upper wall portion 91). . The upper end surface 451 is a surface with which the lower end 350 of the stand-off part 35 abuts. That is, when the fuel tank 90 contracts and the interval between the upper wall portion 91 and the bottom wall portion 92 reaches a predetermined interval, the lower end 350 of the stand-off portion 35 contacts the upper end surface 451 of the joint body 42. As a result, the stand-off part 35 and the joint body 42 prevent the distance between the upper wall part 91 and the bottom wall part 92 from becoming shorter than a predetermined distance, and restrict excessive shrinkage of the fuel tank 90.

Further, the spring guide 46, the left column 47, and the right column 48 extend upward from the upper end surface 451 of the joint body 42. Specifically, the spring guide 46 is provided so as to extend upward from the central portion of the upper end surface 451. In addition, a left column portion 47 and a right column portion 48 are provided on both sides of the spring guide 46 at equal intervals on the left and right sides so as to extend upward from the upper end surface 451. The spring guide 46 is inserted into the coil spring 49 and supports the coil spring 49 at a predetermined position. On the other hand, the left column portion 47 and the right column portion 48 are formed in a prismatic shape, and are inserted into the above-described both side cylinder portions 362 so as to be removable. That is, the left column portion 47 and the right column portion 48 guide the vertical movement of the coupling mechanism 40 relative to the flange unit 20.

(Pump unit 50)
As shown in FIG. 2, the pump unit 50 includes a sub tank 51, a sender gauge 55, a pump case 60, a fuel pump 69, a regulator case 80, and a pressure regulator 100. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the pump unit 50 with a part thereof broken. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the pump unit 50. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the regulator case 80.

(Sub tank 51)
As shown in FIG. 6, the sub tank 51 includes a sub tank main body 52 and a fuel filter 65. The sub tank main body 52 is made of resin, and is formed in a shallow box shape having an open bottom surface. The sub-tank main body 52 is formed in a long rectangular shape that is elongated in the left-right direction in plan view. As shown in FIG. 7, an engagement shaft 53 that protrudes rearward is formed at a position on the left side of the back surface of the sub tank main body 52. The engagement shaft 53 is a cylindrical shaft body that is rotatably fitted in the engagement hole 43 (see FIG. 3). At the rear end of the engagement shaft 53, a retaining collar 531 for restricting the engagement shaft 53 from coming off from the engagement hole 43 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the fuel filter 65 includes a filter member 650 formed of a filter medium. The fuel filter 65 is formed in a long rectangular shape that is flat in the up-down direction and has the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction.

The cover member 78 is formed in a long rectangular plate shape. The cover member 78 is made of resin and has a large number of openings penetrating in the plate thickness direction, that is, the vertical direction. The cover member 78 is integrally coupled to the sub tank main body 52 by a snap fit. Between the peripheral portions of the sub tank main body 52 and the cover member 78, the peripheral portion of the filter member 650 is sandwiched. The cover member 78 covers the lower surface portion of the filter member 650. A large number of hemispherical protrusions 521 are formed on the lower surface of the cover member 78 in a dispersed manner.

(Sender gauge 55)
The sender gauge 55 is configured to detect the position of the liquid level in the fuel tank 90. With this sender gauge 55, the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 90 can be detected. As shown in FIG. 3, the sender gauge 55 includes a gauge body 56, an arm 58, and a float 59. The gauge body 56 is attached to the rear side surface of the standing wall portion 54 of the sub tank body 52. The gauge body 56 includes a rotating portion 57 that can rotate around a horizontal axis. A base end portion of an arm 58 is attached to the rotating portion 57. A float 59 is attached to the distal end that is the free end of the arm 58. In contrast, the standing wall portion 54 is provided with three terminals not shown.

Each of these three terminals is for detecting the rotation position of the rotation unit 57, and is configured as a power supply terminal, a ground terminal, and an output terminal. Each of these three terminals is for detecting the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 90, that is, the position of the liquid level. Each of these three terminals is connected to an external control processing device via the second wire harness 120.

(Pump case 60)
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pump case 60 has a case body 61 formed in a hollow cylindrical shape extending in the left-right direction. The pump case 60 is made of resin. An end plate portion 62 that closes the opening is formed in one end side opening (left end side opening) of the case body 61. A straight tubular discharge pipe portion 63 that penetrates the end plate portion 62 is formed at the center of the end plate portion 62. An elbow pipe joint 70 made of resin is joined to the distal end portion of the discharge pipe portion 63 by welding. In addition, a cylindrical connecting pipe portion 77 protruding upward is formed at a position near the tip of the discharge pipe portion 63. The connection pipe portion 77 communicates with the discharge pipe portion 63.

A pair of front and rear elastic support pieces 641 extending in the opposite direction are formed symmetrically in the front-rear direction at the central upper end in the axial direction of the case body 61. Both elastic support pieces 641 have a band plate shape and are formed in a substantially S shape in plan view. The tip portions of both elastic support pieces 641 are integrally coupled to both side portions of the sub tank main body 52 by snap fitting (see FIG. 7). By both elastic support pieces 641, the pump case 60 is elastically supported on the sub-tank main body 52 in a horizontal state, that is, a horizontally placed state. A fuel pump 69 is accommodated in the case body 61 with the fuel discharge port 672 facing leftward. The fuel discharge port 672 is connected to the proximal end portion (right end portion) of the discharge pipe portion 63.

The case main body 61 is integrally coupled with a resin cap 642 for closing the right end opening surface thereof by a snap fit. The cap 642 is formed with an elbow tubular suction pipe portion 643. One end (lower end) of the suction pipe portion 643 is connected to the connection pipe portion 77 of the fuel filter 65. The suction pipe portion 643 is integrally coupled to the connection pipe portion 77 by a snap fit. The other end (left end) of the suction pipe portion 643 is connected to the fuel suction port 671 of the fuel pump 69.

The pipe joint 70 is connected by press-fitting one end of a fuel discharge tube 66 made of a resin-made flexible tube. The other end of the fuel discharge tube 66 is connected by press-fitting a nozzle member 67. The nozzle member 67 is integrally coupled to the left rear portion of the fuel receiving cylinder portion 68 by a snap fit (see FIG. 8). The fuel discharge tube 66 is curved in a U shape. The fuel pump 69 sucks in fuel and pressurizes and discharges the fuel. The fuel pump 69 has an electric motor (not shown). Therefore, an electrical connector 690 that supplies electric power is provided at the left end of the fuel pump 69. The electrical connector 690 is connected to the end connector 115 of the first wire harness 110.

(Regulator case 80)
The regulator case 80 is made of resin and has a hollow cylindrical shape. The regulator case 80 includes a first case half 81 and a second case half 85 that are divided in the axial direction. Both case halves 81 and 85 are integrally coupled by a snap fit. A pressure regulator 100 is accommodated in the regulator case 80. The regulator case 80 is arranged in a horizontal state in which the axial direction is horizontal. As shown in FIG. 6, the outer shape of the pressure regulator 100 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. The pressure regulator 100 adjusts the pressure of the pressurized fuel discharged from the fuel pump 69, that is, the fuel supplied to the engine, to a predetermined pressure.

The first case half 81 includes a cylindrical connected cylindrical portion 86 that protrudes downward, and a fuel discharge portion 87 that protrudes outward in the tangential direction from the upper end portion. The connected cylinder portion 86 and the fuel discharge portion 87 are in communication with the pressure regulator 100 (specifically, the fuel inlet) in the first case half 81. The second case half 85 includes a discharge pipe portion 88 that protrudes downward from an end opposite to the first case half 81. The discharge pipe portion 88 communicates with the pressure regulator 100 (specifically, the surplus fuel discharge port) in the second case half 85. The fuel discharge unit 87 discharges the fuel regulated by the pressure regulator 100. The surplus fuel in the pressure regulator 100 is discharged from the discharge pipe portion 88.

The connected cylindrical portion 86 of the regulator case 80 is externally fitted to the connecting pipe portion 77 of the pump case 60 and is integrally coupled to each other by a snap-fit structure that the connecting structure 89 has. An O-ring is interposed between the connecting pipe part 77 and the connected cylinder part 86 to seal between them. Further, the fuel discharge portion 87 is directed to the left rear. Further, the discharge pipe portion 88 is directed into the fuel receiving cylinder portion 68 of the sub tank main body 52. Further, the fuel discharge port 27 of the flange main body 21 and the fuel discharge portion 87 of the regulator case 80 are connected via a discharge fuel pipe 130. The discharged fuel pipe 130 is formed in a bellows shape and is a flexible resin hose.

(Wire harness 110, 120)
The first electrical connector portion 31 of the flange main body 21 and the electrical connector 690 of the fuel pump 69 are electrically connected via the first wire harness 110. An end connector 310 of the first wire harness 110 is inserted into the first electrical connector portion 31. Further, the end connector 115 of the first wire harness 110 is inserted into the electrical connector 690. The second electrical connector portion 32 of the flange body 21 and the gauge body 56 of the sender gauge 55 are electrically connected via the second wire harness 120. The end connector 320 of the second wire harness 120 is inserted into the second electrical connector portion 32. Further, the end of the second wire harness 120 is directly connected to the gauge body 56. Such a first wire harness 110 and a second wire harness 120 include a first wiring hook portion 38 formed on the flange body 21 and a second wiring hook formed on the first case half 81 of the regulator case 80. It is hung on the part 82.

(Assembly of connecting mechanism 40 to flange unit 20)
A coil spring 49 is fitted into the spring guide 46 of the coupling mechanism 40, and the spring guide 46 is inserted into the central cylindrical portion 361 of the flange main body 21 together with the coil spring 49. Further, both

side pillar portions

47 and 48 of the coupling mechanism 40 are inserted into both side cylindrical portions 362 of the flange main body 21. Here, the both-side cylindrical portion 362 and the both-

side column portions

47 and 48 are secured so as to be movable within a predetermined range in the axial direction using a snap fit. The joint body 42 is urged in the separating direction with respect to the flange body 21 by the coil spring 49.

(Installation of fuel supply device 10)
By the way, when the fuel supply device 10 is assembled inside the fuel tank 90, first, the coupling mechanism 40 is suspended from the flange unit 20, and the pump unit 50 is suspended from the coupling mechanism 40. Here, the pump unit 50 is kept in an extended state in which the pump mechanism 50 is rotated in the arrow Y1 direction (see FIG. 3) with respect to the coupling mechanism 40. In this device extended state, the pump unit 50 and the coupling mechanism 40 of the fuel supply device 10 are inserted into the fuel tank 90 from the insertion opening 93 of the fuel tank 90. When the inserted pump unit 50 and the coupling mechanism 40 are moved down toward the bottom wall portion 92 of the fuel tank 90 as they are, the pump unit 50 comes into contact with the bottom wall portion 92 of the fuel tank 90.

When the pump unit 50 hits the bottom wall portion 92 of the fuel tank 90, the pump unit 50 is placed in the device mounting state rotated in the arrow Y2 direction (see FIG. 3) with respect to the coupling mechanism 40. And the pump unit 50 is mounted in the bottom wall part 92 in an apparatus mounting state. The flange unit 20 is pushed down against the urging force of the coil spring 49, and the fitting cylinder portion 23 is fitted to the peripheral edge of the insertion opening 93. The flange portion 24 of the flange main body 21 is fixed to the upper wall portion 91 of the fuel tank 90 with a fixing bracket or the like, and the installation of the fuel supply device 10 to the fuel tank 90 is completed. A rotation limiting mechanism is provided between the joint member 41 and the pump unit 50 to limit the rotation of the pump unit 50 beyond the horizontal state.

Incidentally, the pump unit 50 of the fuel supply device 10 is pressed against the bottom wall 92 of the fuel tank 90 by the urging force of the coil spring 49. The fuel tank 90 expands and contracts due to changes in the tank internal pressure. That is, the coupling mechanism 40 is displaced relative to the flange unit 20 following the change in the distance between the upper wall portion 91 and the bottom wall portion 92 of the fuel tank 90. Further, when the fuel tank 90 tends to shrink excessively, the stand-off portion 35 of the flange main body 21 and the joint main body 42 come into contact with each other, so that the distance between the upper wall portion 91 and the bottom wall portion 92 is predetermined. Preventing shorter than interval.

Here, the fuel discharge port 27 of the flange unit 20 is connected to a pipe connected to the engine, and the evaporation port 26 is connected to a pipe connected to the canister. The canister has an adsorbent that can adsorb and desorb the evaporated fuel generated in the fuel tank 90. The first electrical connector portion 31 is connected to an external connector for supplying power, and the second electrical connector portion 32 is connected to an external connector for detection reception.

(Operation of the fuel supply device 10)
Such a fuel supply device 10 operates as follows. That is, when the fuel pump 69 is driven, the fuel in the fuel storage space 770 is sucked into the fuel pump 69 and pressurized through the fuel filter 65. The pressurized fuel is discharged from the fuel pump 69, flows into the regulator case 80 through the discharge pipe portion 63 of the pump case 60, and is regulated by the pressure regulator 100. The pressurized fuel that has been regulated is supplied to the engine from the fuel discharge port 27 of the flange unit 20 via the discharge fuel pipe 130.

The surplus fuel due to pressure regulation by the pressure regulator 100 is discharged from the discharge pipe portion 88 of the regulator case 80 into the fuel receiving cylinder portion 68 of the sub tank main body 52. A part of the pressurized fuel discharged from the fuel pump 69 to the discharge pipe portion 63 of the pump case 60 is discharged into the fuel receiving cylinder portion 68 of the sub tank main body 52 through the fuel discharge tube 66. Further, the evaporated fuel generated in the fuel tank 90 is discharged to the canister by opening the evaporated fuel control valve of the evaporated fuel valve 33.

(Pipe fitting 70)
Next, the pipe joint 70 will be described in detail. FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion connected by the pipe joint 70. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing the lower surface side of the pipe joint 70. The pipe joint 70 is formed of a hard resin. The discharge pipe portion 63 is also formed of the same hard resin as the pipe joint 70. A horizontal extending portion 71 having a first opening end portion 701 of the pipe joint 70 is coupled to the distal end portion 631 of the discharge pipe portion 63 by welding. The pipe joint 70 is formed in an elbow shape that changes the direction of the fuel flow path to a crossing direction orthogonal to the discharge pipe portion 63.

Specifically, the pipe joint 70 changes the direction of the fuel flow path to the fuel discharge tube 66 that extends upward in the vertical direction with respect to the discharge pipe portion 63 that extends in the horizontal direction. The discharge pipe portion 63 corresponds to the “discharge flow path for flowing the fuel discharged from the fuel pump” in this specification. On the other hand, the fuel discharge tube 66 corresponds to “a discharge flow path capable of discharging a part of the discharged fuel” in this specification. Further, the pipe joint 70 corresponds to a “connecting portion connecting from the discharge flow path to the discharge flow path” in the present specification.

The pipe joint 70 includes a second opening end 702 that faces upward in the vertical direction. One end 661 of the fuel discharge tube 66 is press-fitted into the second opening end 702. The second opening end portion 702 is an end portion of the cross extension portion 72. The cross extension portion 72 extends in a direction orthogonal to the horizontal extension portion 71 via the cross portion 73. That is, the fuel in the discharge pipe portion 63 can flow to the fuel discharge tube 66 through the pipe joint 70. The fuel discharge tube 66 is made of a flexible soft resin tube.

The fuel discharge tube 66 is bent in a U shape so that the one end 661 and the other end 662 face downward, and is attached by being press-fitted into the pipe joint 70 and the nozzle member 67. The fuel discharge tube 66 is a flow path for discharging surplus fuel exceeding the supply when the fuel supplied to the engine is adjusted. As described above, the “U-shaped curved shape” is provided as a part of a configuration that suppresses the phenomenon of “liquid drop” in which fuel flows out from the pipe when the engine is stopped.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a process of inserting the fuel supply device 10 into the fuel tank 90. That is, FIG. 15 shows a state in which the pump unit 50 of the fuel supply device 10 is inserted into the fuel tank 90 from the insertion opening 93 of the fuel tank 90. Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the pipe joint 70 is provided to protrude to the left side from the outer edge 511 located at the left end of the sub tank 51. As described above, this “pipe joint 70 projecting to the left” is also provided as a part of a configuration that suppresses the phenomenon of “liquid drop” in which fuel flows out of the pipe when the engine is stopped.

In addition, the pump unit 50 rotates about the engaging shaft 53 as a rotation center. Therefore, the pipe joint 70 is provided at a position in the pump unit 50 that passes in a state of being close to the end edge 95 of the insertion opening 93 as shown in FIG. In this pipe joint 70, the pump unit 50 passes through the insertion opening 93 of the fuel tank 90 so as to be closest to the end edge 95 of the insertion opening 93 when being inserted therein. .

Incidentally, when the one end 661 of the fuel discharge tube 66 is press-fitted into the second opening end 702 of the pipe joint 70, a cradle (not shown) is disposed below the pipe joint 70. This is because the press-fit load of the fuel discharge tube 66 to the pipe joint 70 is large. A receiving rib 75 is provided below the pipe joint 70 to increase the rigidity of the pipe joint 70. The press-fitting load when the fuel discharge tube 66 is press-fitted is transmitted from the pipe joint 70 to the cradle. The press-fit load of the fuel discharge tube 66 to the pipe joint 70 corresponds to “work load when connecting the discharge flow path to the connection portion” in this specification. Here, the receiving rib 75 is formed for the purpose of receiving a press-fitting load when connecting the fuel discharge tube 66 serving as a flow path of the pipe joint 70.

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the pipe joint 70. In addition to the receiving rib 75, an insertion rib 76 is provided at the lower portion of the pipe joint 70. The insertion rib 76 is provided corresponding to the insertion of the pump unit 50 when the pump unit 50 is inserted into the fuel tank 90 from the insertion opening 93 of the fuel tank 90. More specifically, the insertion rib 76 is formed so as to be able to prevent the end edge 95 of the insertion opening 93 from being caught on the pipe joint 70. The rigidity of the pipe joint 70 is enhanced by the two types of receiving ribs 75 and the insertion ribs 76 provided on the outer surface of the pipe joint 70.

As shown in FIG. 11, an inner receiving rib 751 and an outer receiving rib 752 extending in the front-rear direction are provided at the lower portion of the intersecting portion 73 of the pipe joint 70. The inner receiving ribs 751 and the outer receiving ribs 752 are arranged so as to be parallel to each other with an appropriate interval. Each of the receiving

ribs

751 and 752 is set to a thickness of approximately 2 mm. The pipe joint 70 is a resin molded product that is partly slid in the front-rear direction about the central axis X.

In contrast, the insertion rib 76 is provided so as to extend on the central axis X. The insertion rib 76 is set to a thickness of about 2 mm, which is the same as the receiving

ribs

751 and 752. The insertion rib 76 is formed so as to connect the intermediate portion 761 of the inner receiving rib 751 and the intermediate portion 762 of the outer receiving rib 752. Therefore, the insertion rib 76 extends in the intersecting direction perpendicular to the inner receiving rib 751 and the outer receiving rib 752. That is, the insertion rib 76 intersects each of the two inner receiving ribs 751 and the outer receiving rib 752. The insertion rib 76 thus provided extends in the left-right direction that coincides with the extending direction of the sub tank 51. That is, the insertion rib 76 extends in a direction similar to the insertion direction when the pump unit 50 is inserted into the fuel tank 90 from the insertion opening 93.

In addition, the insertion rib 76 has a shape corresponding to the parting slide. In other words, the insertion rib 76 can be formed without any problem when it is divided and slid in the front-rear direction along the central axis X. The lower surfaces of the

ribs

75 and 76 of the pipe joint 70 thus provided constitute a support surface 730 that is continuous with each other. When the cradle (not shown) is disposed below the pipe joint 70, the support surface 730 is in surface contact with the cradle (not shown).

The horizontal extension 71 includes a flange 74 that extends radially outward near the first opening end 701. The lower portion of the flange portion 74 is formed as an enlarged portion 741 that protrudes greatly downward. The left side surface of the enlarged portion 741 is set as an abutment surface 743 on which the above-described cradle (not shown) can abut to position the cradle. Note that a plurality of ribs 745 are provided on the right side surface of the flange portion 74 to increase the rigidity of the flange portion 74.

(Operational effects of the embodiment)
According to the fuel supply device 10, the pump unit 50 includes the discharge pipe portion 63 and the fuel discharge tube 66 that can discharge part of the discharged fuel. The pump unit 50 has a pipe joint 70 connected from the discharge pipe portion 63 to the fuel discharge tube 66. When the pump unit 50 is inserted into the fuel tank 90 from the insertion opening 93 of the fuel tank 90, the pipe joint 70 is positioned so as to pass close to the edge 95 of the insertion opening 93. Is provided.

Here, the pipe joint 70 includes an insertion rib 76 corresponding to the insertion from the insertion opening 93 of the pump unit 50 on the lower surface thereof. Accordingly, when the pipe joint 70 passes close to the end edge 95 of the insertion opening 93, the insertion opening is provided by the insertion rib 76 corresponding to the insertion provided on the outer surface of the pipe joint 70. It can pass without being caught with respect to the edge 95 of the part 93. Therefore, according to the fuel supply device 10, the pump unit 50 can be smoothly inserted from the insertion opening 93 of the fuel tank 90, and the assembly property of the fuel supply device 10 to the fuel tank 90 can be improved. .

According to the fuel supply apparatus 10, the pipe joint 70 includes receiving

ribs

751 and 752 that receive a press-fitting load when the fuel discharge tube 66 is connected to the pipe joint 70 on the lower surface. Therefore, for example, when the fuel discharge tube 66 as a flow path is press-fitted into the pipe joint 70 from above, the press-fitting load of the fuel discharge tube 66 is transmitted to the cradle via the receiving

ribs

751 and 752. Here, the insertion rib 76 extends in a crossing direction with respect to the receiving

ribs

751 and 752. Therefore, when the pipe joint 70 passes close to the end edge 95 of the insertion opening 93, the insertion rib 76 can prevent the receiving

ribs

751 and 752 from being caught, and the insertion opening The pipe joint 70 can be smoothly passed through the edge 95 of the portion 93.

According to the fuel supply device 10, since the receiving

ribs

751, 752 have two in parallel, the rigidity of the pipe joint 70 can be further increased. Further, according to the fuel supply device 10, the insertion rib 76 intersects each of the two receiving

ribs

751 and 752. As a result, even when the pipe joint 70 passes close to the end edge 95 of the insertion opening 93, the insertion ribs 76 intersecting each other prevents the receiving

ribs

751 and 752 having two in parallel from being caught. can do. That is, the pipe joint 70 can be smoothly passed through the end edge 95 of the insertion opening 93.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The embodiment described below is different from the first embodiment only in the configuration of the receiving rib 75. Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the pipe joint 70A. The pipe joint 70A shown in FIG. 12 is different from the pipe joint 70 according to the first embodiment in that the outer receiving rib 752 is omitted. 70 A of pipe joints have the same effect as the pipe joint 70. FIG.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The embodiment described below is different from the first embodiment only in the configuration of the receiving rib 75. Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the pipe joint 70B. A pipe joint 70B shown in FIG. 13 is different from the pipe joint 70 according to the first embodiment in that the inner receiving rib 751 is omitted. The pipe joint 70B has the same effects as the pipe joint 70.

(Fourth embodiment)
A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The embodiment described below is different from the first embodiment only in the configuration of the receiving rib 75. Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the pipe joint 70C. The pipe joint 70C shown in FIG. 14 is different from the pipe joint 70 according to the first embodiment in that the inner receiving rib 751 is eliminated and the intermediate receiving rib 753 is provided at an intermediate position. The pipe joint 70 </ b> C has the same effects as the pipe joint 70.

(Other embodiments)
Although the present disclosure has been described with respect to specific embodiments, the present disclosure can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the pipe joint 70 is configured as described above in that it is configured to suppress the phenomenon of “liquid drop” (an inverted U-shaped curved shape as a part of the discharge flow path, and a pipe protruding to the left from the left end of the sub tank 51. Joint 70 etc.) was taken. However, in the “connecting portion” referred to in this specification, when the pump unit 50 is further inserted into the inside from the insertion opening 93 to the place where the discharge flow path and the discharge flow path are connected, The present invention can be applied as long as it is provided at a position where it passes through the edge 95 of the opening 93 for approach.

In this specification, the technology has been disclosed in various forms. The first aspect includes a lid side unit fixed to the fuel tank, a pump side unit disposed so as to be landed on the inner bottom of the fuel tank, and a connection for connecting the pump side unit and the lid side unit. The pump-side unit includes a discharge passage for flowing fuel discharged from a fuel pump, a discharge passage for discharging a part of the discharged fuel, and the discharge flow from the discharge passage. A connecting portion that connects to a road, and the connecting portion includes, among the pump-side units, when the pump-side unit is inserted into the fuel tank from the insertion opening for the fuel tank. The connecting portion is provided at a position where it passes close to the edge of the insertion opening, and the connection portion is caught by the edge of the insertion opening of the fuel tank. The restraining insertion rib Having a surface, a fuel supply system.

According to the first aspect, the pump-side unit has a discharge flow path and a discharge flow path that can discharge a part of the discharged fuel. The “exhaust flow path” is a flow path for discharging surplus fuel that has flowed out of the supply range when the fuel supplied to the engine is adjusted. In addition, as described above, the “discharge flow path” may be provided with a configuration that suppresses the phenomenon of “liquid drop” in which fuel flows out of the pipe when the engine is stopped.

The connecting portion has an insertion rib on its outer surface that can prevent the end of the insertion opening of the fuel tank from being caught by the connecting portion. As a result, when the connection portion passes close to the edge of the insertion opening, the insertion rib provided on the outer surface of the connection portion is attached to the edge of the insertion opening by the insertion rib corresponding to the insertion. It can pass through without being caught. Therefore, according to this fuel supply device, the pump side unit can be smoothly inserted from the insertion opening of the fuel tank, so that the assemblability of the fuel supply device to the fuel tank can be improved.

According to a second aspect, in the fuel supply apparatus according to the first aspect, the connection portion has a receiving rib on its outer surface for receiving a work load when the discharge passage is connected to the connection portion, and the insertion The working rib is a fuel supply device that extends in a direction intersecting the receiving rib.

According to the second aspect, the rib provided on the outer surface of the connection portion includes the receiving rib that receives the work load when the discharge flow path is connected to the connection portion. When the one end of the curved hose is press-fitted from above, a receiving rib is provided to increase the rigidity of the connecting portion so that the press-fitting work load of the fuel discharge tube or the like is preferably transmitted to the cradle. Here, since the insertion rib extends in the crossing direction with respect to the receiving rib, the receiving rib is inserted into the receiving rib by the insertion rib when the connecting portion passes close to the edge of the insertion opening. Can be prevented, and the connecting portion can be smoothly passed through the edge of the insertion opening.

According to a third aspect, in the fuel supply device according to the second aspect, the connecting portion includes a plurality of the receiving ribs in parallel, and the insertion rib intersects each of the plurality of receiving ribs. It is a fuel supply device. According to the third aspect, since the plurality of receiving ribs are provided in parallel, the rigidity of the connecting portion can be further increased.

Furthermore, according to the third aspect, the insertion rib intersects with each of the plurality of receiving ribs. As a result, even when the connecting portion passes in a state of being close to the edge of the insertion opening, it is possible to suppress the catching of the plurality of receiving ribs in parallel by the intersecting insertion ribs. That is, the connecting portion can be smoothly passed through the edge of the insertion opening.

Claims

A lid-side unit fixed to the fuel tank; a pump-side unit disposed so as to be landed on the inner bottom of the fuel tank; and a coupling mechanism that couples the pump-side unit and the lid-side unit. And
The pump-side unit includes a discharge flow path for flowing fuel discharged from the fuel pump, a discharge flow path capable of discharging a part of the discharged fuel, and a connection connected from the discharge flow path to the discharge flow path And
The connecting portion approaches the edge of the insertion opening in the pump side unit when the pump side unit is inserted into the fuel tank from the insertion opening of the fuel tank. It is provided at a position that passes in the state,
The fuel supply device, wherein the connection portion has an insertion rib on its outer surface that can prevent the end of the insertion opening of the fuel tank from being caught by the connection portion.
The fuel supply device according to claim 1,
The connecting portion has a receiving rib on its outer surface that receives a work load when connecting the discharge channel to the connecting portion,
The fuel supply device, wherein the insertion rib extends in a crossing direction with respect to the receiving rib.
The fuel supply device according to claim 2,
The connecting portion has a plurality of the receiving ribs in parallel,
The fuel supply device, wherein the insertion rib intersects each of the plurality of receiving ribs.