Patent Application
20190211785
This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-90582 filed on Apr. 28, 2016.
The disclosure of the present description relates to a fuel supply device that is placed in an inside of a fuel tank and supplies fuel of the fuel tank to an internal combustion engine.
Previously, for example, the patent literature 1 discloses a fuel supply device that includes a sender gauge, which senses a level of a surface of the fuel through use of a float. The sender gauge includes: a main body, which is fixed to a pump unit of the fuel supply device; and a surface level detection unit, which has a gauge arm and the float that are rotatable relative to the pump unit. The pump unit and the sender gauge of the fuel supply device are inserted into the fuel tank through an insertion opening and is thereby placed in the inside of the fuel tank.
In general, the main body of the sender gauge includes a stopper that limits displacement of the surface level detection unit, which is configured to be rotatable, so that the stopper limits a rotational range of the surface level detection unit. In addition, as in the case of the patent literature 1, the rotational range of the surface level detection unit is set to include an inserting direction of the pump unit. Therefore, at the inserting operation for inserting the pump unit and the like into the fuel tank, the float, which is attached to a distal end side of the surface level detection unit, may contact a bottom wall surface of the fuel tank and receive a reaction force from the bottom wall surface.
The float of the patent literature 1 is shaped such that a portion of the float, which is located at a lower side in the rotational direction, has a larger volume in comparison to another portion of the float, which is located at an upper side in the rotational direction, so that the float can receive buoyancy from the fuel and thereby follow the surface level of the fuel even at a location that is adjacent to the bottom wall surface even in a case where the remaining amount of the fuel in the fuel tank is small. Therefore, at the inserting operation, when the float interferes with the bottom wall surface, the surface level detection unit is rotated toward the lower side by a force, which is applied from the bottom wall surface to the float, so that the surface level detection unit is strongly urged against the stopper that limits the displacement of the surface level detection unit toward the lower side. As a result, there is a possibility of damaging, for example, the surface level detection unit and the stopper.
The present disclosure is made in view of the above disadvantage, and it is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a fuel supply device that can avoid a damage of, for example, a surface level detection unit and a stopper before a time of using the fuel supply device.
In order to achieve the above objective, according to a first aspect disclosed herein, there is implemented a fuel supply device provided with: a supply main body, which is configured to be inserted through an insertion opening of a fuel tank while the supply main body is oriented such that a specific inserting direction of the supply main body is directed toward the insertion opening; and a surface level detection device that is configured to detect a level of a surface of fuel through use of a float, which is configured to float on the fuel, the fuel supply device comprising:
the supply main body that includes a lower limit stopper, which limits displacement of the float toward a lower side, wherein the supply main body is configured to be placed in an inside of the fuel tank and supply the fuel to an outside of the fuel tank; and
a surface level detection unit that includes the float and is rotatable relative to the supply main body, wherein rotation of the surface level detection unit toward the lower side is limited through contact of the surface level detection unit to the lower limit stopper, and a rotational range of the surface level detection unit is defined to include at least a space located on a side of the supply main body in the inserting direction, wherein:
a distal end part of the surface level detection unit, which is furthermost from an imaginary rotational center axis of the surface level detection unit, is located on an upper side of an imaginary plane, which includes the imaginary rotational center axis and a center of gravity of the surface level detection unit, in a rotational direction of the surface level detection unit.
According to the above-described aspect, at the time of inserting operation for inserting the supply main body of the fuel supply device into the inside of the fuel tank, the surface level detection unit is held in an orientation, in which the center of gravity of the surface level detection unit is placed below the imaginary rotational center axis in a gravitational direction by placing a portion of the surface level detection unit in the inserting direction of the supply main body. At this time, the distal end part of the surface level detection unit, which is furthermost from the imaginary rotational center axis in the surface level detection unit, is placed on the upper side of the imaginary plane, which includes the imaginary rotational center axis and the center of gravity, in the rotational direction of the surface level detection unit. Thus, even in a case where the distal end part interferes with the bottom wall surface of the fuel tank at the inserting operation, the surface level detection unit can be rotated toward the upper side by the force, which is applied from the bottom wall surface to the surface level detection unit. When the rotation of the surface level detection unit toward the lower side is limited in the above described manner, it is possible to avoid the incidence where the surface level detection unit is strongly urged against the lower limit stopper by the force, which is applied from the bottom wall surface to the surface level detection unit. Thus, the damage of, for example, the surface level detection unit and the stopper before the time of using the fuel supply device is avoided.
The present disclosure, together with additional objectives, features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description in view of the accompanying drawings.
Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following respective embodiments, corresponding structural elements are indicated by the same reference signs and may not be redundantly described in some cases. In a case where only a part of a structure is described in each of the following embodiments, the rest of the structure of the embodiment may be the same as that of previously described one or more of the embodiments. Besides the explicitly described combination(s) of structural components in each of the following embodiments, the structural components of different embodiments may be partially combined even though such a combination(s) is not explicitly explained as long as there is no problem. It should be understood that the unexplained combinations of the structural components recited in the following embodiments and modifications thereof are assumed to be disclosed in this description by the following explanation.
A fuel supply device 100 of a first embodiment shown in
As shown in
The flange 10 is made of a resin material and is shaped into a circular plate form as a whole. The flange 10 is installed to the ceiling wall 91 of the fuel tank 90 and thereby closes the insertion opening 92. A fuel supply pipe 11 and a connector 12 are formed at the flange 10. The fuel supply pipe 11 forms a fuel path that conducts the fuel, which is supplied from the sub-tank 20, toward the internal combustion engine 110. A plug, which is electrically connected to a control circuit system 120, is fitted to the connector 12.
The sub-tank 20 is received in the inside of the fuel tank 90 and is placed on a lower side of the flange 10. The sub-tank 20 is in an elongated form as a whole. The sub-tank 20 is urged against the bottom wall surface 94 while the sub-tank 20 is held in an installation orientation thereof, in which a longitudinal direction of the sub-tank 20 extends along an inner surface (hereinafter referred to as a bottom wall surface) 94 of a bottom wall 93 of the fuel tank 90. The sub-tank 20 includes a sub-tank main body 21 and a fuel pump 22.
The sub-tank main body 21 is shaped into a flat rectangular parallelepiped form as a whole. The sub-tank main body 21 is placed on the bottom wall surface 94 of the fuel tank 90. The fuel, which is stored in the fuel tank 90, flows into an inside of the sub-tank main body 21. The sub-tank main body 21 temporarily stores the fuel to be suctioned into the fuel pump 22.
The fuel pump 22 is an electric pump, such as an impeller pump or a trochoid pump. The fuel pump 22 is shaped into a cylindrical form as a whole. The fuel pump 22 is fixed to the sub-tank main body 21 in a state where an axial direction of the fuel pump 22 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the sub-tank 20. The fuel pump 22 is connected to the connector 12 through a flexible wiring that is flexible. A control signal is supplied from a control circuit system 120 to the fuel pump 22 through the connector 12. A suctioning operation of the fuel pump 22 for suctioning the fuel stored in the sub-tank main body 21 is controlled by the control circuit system 120. The fuel pump 22 supplies the fuel, which is suctioned at the inside of the fuel tank 90, to the internal combustion engine 110 that is placed at the outside of the fuel tank 90.
The support stay 30 is received in the inside of the fuel tank 90. The support stay 30 solely couples between the flange 10 and the sub-tank 20. The support stay 30 rotatably supports the sub-tank 20. The support stay 30 includes a lower stay portion 31, an upper stay portion 32 and a resilient member 33.
The lower stay portion 31 and the upper stay portion 32 are made of a resin material. The lower stay portion 31 is installed to the sub-tank main body 21. The lower stay portion 31 is rotatable about an imaginary main body rotational axis Ar1 relative to the sub-tank main body 21. With the above-described construction of the lower stay portion 31, the support stay 30 supports the sub-tank 20 such that the sub-tank 20 is rotatable about the main body rotational axis Ar1. The main body rotational axis Ar1 is displaced from a longitudinal center of the sub-tank 20 toward one side. In a case where the sub-tank 20 is held in the installation orientation, the main body rotational axis Ar1 extends along the bottom wall surface 94. The upper stay portion 32 is shaped into a tubular form that downwardly extends from the flange 10. The lower stay portion 31 is slidably fitted into the upper stay portion 32 from the lower side.
The resilient member 33 is a coil spring that is made of a metal material. The resilient member 33 is placed in a state where the resilient member 33 is compressed between the lower stay portion 31 and the upper stay portion 32. The resilient member 33 downwardly exerts a downward restoring force against the lower stay portion 31. With the above-described structure, when the flange 10 is securely installed to the ceiling wall 91, the sub-tank 20 is urged against the bottom wall 93. Furthermore, a relative position between the lower stay portion 31 and the upper stay portion 32 can be varied in response to expansion and contraction of the fuel tank 90.
The surface level detection device 40, which is shown in
The sender body 41 is made of a resin material. The sender body 41 is installed to the sub-tank main body 21 and is thereby fixed to the sub-tank 20. The sender body 41 and the sub-tank 20 form a supply main body 20a that rotatably supports the surface level detection unit 50. A Hall IC is received in the sender body 41. The Hall IC is a sensor that senses a rotational phase of the surface level detection unit 50. The sender body 41 includes a plurality of pairs of upper limit stoppers 42 and lower limit stoppers 43. The upper limit stoppers 42 and the lower limit stoppers 43 are opposed to each other in the up-and-down direction.
The surface level detection unit 50 is rotatable about an imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 relative to the supply main body 20a. The imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 is set to orient such that the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 extends along the main body rotational axis Ar1. Therefore, in a case where the supply main body 20a (the sub-tank 20) is in the installation orientation, the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 extends along the bottom wall surface 94. In addition, the rotational center axis Ar2 is located on an upper side of the main body rotational axis Ar1 of the supply main body 20a. Furthermore, the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 is located on an opposite side of the longitudinal center of the supply main body 20a, which is opposite from the main body rotational axis Ar1 in the longitudinal direction.
The surface level detection unit 50 includes a magnet holder 51, a sender arm 55 and a float 60.
The magnet holder 51 is made of a resin material and is shaped into a circular plate form as a whole. A pair of magnets is received in the magnet holder 51. The pair of magnets is placed on two opposite sides, respectively, of the Hall IC and provides a magnetic field to the Hall IC. A plurality of stopper holes 52 is formed at the magnet holder 51.
The sender arm 55 is made of a metal material and is in a form of a cylindrical rod. One end part of the sender arm 55 is bent relative to a main body portion of the sender arm 55. The sender arm 55 is installed to the magnet holder 51 in a state where the one end part of the sender arm 55 is inserted into a corresponding one of the stopper holes 52. The one end part of the sender arm 55, which is inserted into the corresponding stopper hole 52, is contactable with the upper limit stopper 42 and the lower limit stopper 43 through rotation of the surface level detection unit 50.
The float 60 is made of a material, such as foamed ebonite, and is shaped into a flat rectangular parallelepiped form as a whole. Each side edge of the float 60 is rounded in a form of an arc that has a radius of a minute size (few millimeters). The float 60 is installed to the other end part of the sender arm 55. The float 60 can float on the surface of the fuel and is displaceable in the up-and-down direction by following a change in the surface level of the fuel while sliding in the longitudinal direction along the surface of the fuel. When the float 60 is displaced in the up-and-down direction, the surface level detection unit 50 is rotated relative to the supply main body 20a.
In the surface level detection unit 50 described above, when the float 60 is displaced toward the upper side in response to the rise of the surface level of the fuel, the one end part of the sender arm 55 contacts the upper limit stopper 42. Thereby, the displacement of the float 60 toward the upper side and the rotation of the surface level detection unit 50 toward the upper side are limited. As a result, contacting of the float 60 to the ceiling wall 91 is limited.
Furthermore, when the float 60 is displaced toward the lower side in response to the drop of the surface level of the fuel, the end part of the sender arm 55 contacts the lower limit stopper 43. Thereby, the displacement of the float 60 toward the lower side and the rotation of the surface level detection unit 50 toward the lower side are limited. As a result, contacting of the float 60 to the bottom wall 93 is limited.
The surface level detection device 40 detects the rotational phase of the surface level detection unit 50, which is rotated by the displacement of the float 60 through use of the Hall IC. The Hall IC is electrically connected to an in-vehicle device, such as a combination meter, which is located at the outside of the fuel tank 90. A detection result of the Hall IC is supplied to the combination meter, so that information, which indicates the remaining amount of the fuel, is provided to, for example, a driver of the vehicle.
In the fuel supply device 100, as discussed above, the sub-tank 20 and the surface level detection device 40 are inserted into the inside of the fuel tank 90 through the insertion opening 92. A structure and a function, which limit a damage of the surface level detection device 40 at the time of performing the above-described inserting operation, as well as an assembling process, which include the inserting operation, will be described below with reference to
Here, an inserting direction ID, which will be referred in the following description, is a direction that is defined with respect to the supply main body 20a. More specifically, the inserting direction ID is defined as a direction from the main body rotational axis Ar1 toward the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 in the longitudinal direction of the supply main body 20a. The terms “upper side” and “lower side”, which are used in the above discussion, are relative directions that are defined with respect to the supply main body 20a. Therefore, the terms “upper side” and “lower side” will be also used in the following discussion in distinction from the up-and-down direction, which is the absolute direction. In addition, the upper side and the lower side of the supply main body 20a in the installed state are taken as the reference to the rotational direction of the surface level detection unit. Specifically, even when the orientation of supply main body 20a is changed to any orientation at the time of inserting operation, a side toward the ceiling wall 91 in the installed state is the upper side, and a side toward the bottom wall 93 is the lower side. Specifically, in
As shown in
Specifically, the support stay 30 in the insertion form is in a state where the support stay 30 is most extended in the axial direction by the restoring force of the resilient member 33 (see
Furthermore, a rotational range of the surface level detection unit 50 is set to include at least a space in the inserting direction ID of the supply main body 20a. At the time of the inserting operation, the supply main body 20a is inserted through the insertion opening 92 while the supply main body 20a is oriented such that the specific inserting direction ID is directed toward the insertion opening 92. At this time, the support stay 30, the flange 10 and the supply main body 20a are gripped by a worker. In contrast, the surface level detection unit 50 is not fixed to the supply main body 20a and is not gripped by the worker, so that the surface level detection unit 50 is inserted into the insertion opening 92 in a state where the surface level detection unit 50 is freely rotatable relative to the supply main body 20a. Therefore, the surface level detection unit 50 passes through the insertion opening 92 in a state where the surface level detection unit 50 is hanging down from the supply main body 20a by the action of gravity. Specifically, the surface level detection unit 50 is inserted into the insertion opening 92 while the surface level detection unit 50 is placed at a rotational phase, at which a center of gravity CG of the surface level detection unit 50 is positioned below (directly below) the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 in the gravitational direction, in the rotational range of the surface level detection unit 50.
In the above-described state, the distal end part 50a, which is furthermost from the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 in the surface level detection unit 50, becomes the most advanced part among the supply main body 20a and the surface level detection unit 50 in the inserting direction ID. In the first embodiment, one side of the float 60, which is furthermost from the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 among four sides of the float 60 that extend along the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2, forms the distal end part 50a. The distal end part 50a makes initial contact with the bottom wall surface 94 (see
In order to avoid this kind of damage, the distal end part 50a of the surface level detection unit 50 is placed on the upper side of the imaginary plane VP, which includes the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 and the center of gravity CG, in the rotational direction of the surface level detection unit 50. At the inserting operation, the imaginary plane VP becomes substantially parallel to the up-and-down direction by the gravitational force that is applied to the surface level detection unit 50. Therefore, at the inserting operation, the surface level detection unit 50, which is rotatable relative to the supply main body 20a, is placed such that the distal end part 50a of the surface level detection unit 50 is placed on the upper side of the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2.
As shown in
Thereby, even when the inserting operation continues in the state where the orientation of the supply main body 20a is kept generally in the vertical state, the surface level detection unit 50 is rotated toward a full level indicating side, at which the surface level detection unit 50 indicates the fuel tank is full of the fuel, by sliding the rounded distal end part 50a toward the upper side along the bottom wall surface 94, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In the surface level detection unit 50 of the first embodiment discussed above, the distal end part 50a is placed on the upper side of the imaginary plane VP, which includes the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 and the center of gravity CG. Therefore, even when the distal end part 50a contacts the bottom wall surface 94 through the inserting operation, the contact part IP between the bottom wall surface 94 and the distal end part 50a is placed on the upper side of the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 (see
As discussed above, when the rotation of the surface level detection unit 50 toward the lower side is limited in the above described manner, it is possible to avoid the incidence where the surface level detection unit 50 is strongly urged against the lower limit stopper 43 by the force, which is applied from the bottom wall surface 94 to the float 60. Thus, it is possible to avoid the damage of, for example, the surface level detection unit 50 and the lower limit stopper 43 before the time of using the fuel supply device 100.
In addition, the fuel supply device 100 of the first embodiment is configured such that the supply main body 20a is rotatable relative to the support stay 30. The supply main body 20a is inserted into the insertion opening 92 while the supply main body 20a is oriented such that the supply main body 20a is rotated relative to the support stay 30 toward the lower side in comparison to the installation orientation of the supply main body 20a in the installed state of thereof. In the fuel supply device 100 configured in this way, the rotational range of the surface level detection unit 50 is defined in the space located in the inserting direction ID of the supply main body 20a in order to enable the insertion of the supply main body 20a into the insertion opening 92 that has the limited opening area. Therefore, the above structure, which avoids the damage by limiting the rotation of the surface level detection unit 50 toward the lower side, is particularly effective for the fuel supply device 100, in which the supply main body 20a is rotatable relative to the support stay 30.
Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 of the surface level detection unit 50 is located on the upper side of the main body rotational axis Ar1 of the supply main body 20a. Therefore, when the supply main body 20a is rotated relative to the support stay 30 toward the upper side, the float 60 is most quickly lifted and is moved away from the bottom wall surface 94 (see
Additionally, in the first embodiment, the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 is placed in parallel with the main body rotational axis Ar1. Therefore, at the time of starting the inserting operation, when the longitudinal direction of the supply main body 20a is placed to coincide with the axial direction of the insertion opening 92, the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 is oriented such that the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 extends in the horizontal direction (see
A fuel supply device 200 of a second embodiment of the present disclosure, which is shown in
Specifically, the imaginary rotational center axis Ar202 of the second embodiment is oriented such that the imaginary rotational center axis Ar202 extends along the bottom wall surface 94 like the main body rotational axis Ar1. When the imaginary rotational center axis Ar202 and the main body rotational axis Ar1 are projected onto a common imaginary horizontal plane in the up-and-down direction (see
The imaginary rotational center axis Ar202 of the second embodiment discussed above is set to orient such that the imaginary rotational center axis Ar202 intersects the imaginary perpendicular plane VOP that is perpendicular to the main body rotational axis Ar1, so that the imaginary rotational center axis Ar202 is not parallel with the perpendicular plane VOP. Therefore, even if the longitudinal direction of the supply main body 220a is set to coincide with the up-and-down direction at the time of inserting operation, the imaginary rotational center axis Ar202 does not become vertical. Accordingly, the surface level detection unit 50 can be rotated relative to the supply main body 220a at the start time of the inserting operation such that the distal end part 250a is positioned on the upper side of the imaginary rotational center axis Ar202. Thus, even in the fuel supply device 200 of the second embodiment, the damage of the surface level detection device 40 is avoided. In the second embodiment, among the corners formed at the float 60, the furthermost corner, which is furthermost from the imaginary rotational center axis Ar202 and is furthermost from the supply main body 20a, serves as the distal end part 250a.
Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure should not be limited to the above embodiments and may be applied to various other embodiments and various combinations of the embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.
The sender arm 55 of the above embodiments is shaped such that the intermediate portion of the sender arm 55 is bent toward the lower side in the rotational direction. Furthermore, the float 60 of the above embodiments is shaped into the flat rectangular parallelepiped form. However, the shape of the sender arm and the shape of the float may be changed to any other appropriate form as long as the distal end part can be placed on the upper side of the imaginary plane VP that includes the imaginary rotational center axis and the center of gravity.
For example, a surface level detection unit 350 of a first modification shown in
Furthermore, a surface level detection unit 450 of a second modification shown in
Furthermore, any other component of the surface level detection unit, which is other than the float, may form the distal end part of the surface level detection unit. Also, in the case where the float forms the distal end part of the surface level detection unit, a surface roughness of the outer surface of the float is desirably set to a value that enables smooth slide movement of the float along the bottom wall surface without causing sticking of the outer surface of the float to the bottom wall surface. Additionally, the shape of the distal end part may be any form selected from a surface, a line and a dot. In addition, a plurality of parts, which are furthermost from the imaginary rotational center axis, may be defined as distal end parts. In these cases, all of the above-described distal end parts should be placed on the upper side of the imaginary plane.
In the case where the imaginary rotational center axis Ar202 is tilted relative to the main body rotational axis Ar1 like in the second embodiment (see
Furthermore, the imaginary rotational center axis Ar202 of the second embodiment is set to extend in the horizontal direction. Alternatively, the imaginary rotational center axis may be set such that the imaginary rotational center axis is tilted relative to the bottom wall surface or the horizontal plane. As discussed above, as long as the imaginary rotational center axis is set such that the imaginary rotational center axis intersects the perpendicular plane VOP, it is possible to implement the advantage of avoiding the damage and deformation by rotating the surface level detection unit toward the upper side.
Furthermore, even if the attachment orientation of the surface level detection device relative to the sub-tank is set in any manner, the upper side and the lower side in the rotational direction of the surface level detection unit are defined with reference to the supply main body that is in the installed state. Specifically, the surface level detection unit, which is in the installed state, is rotated toward the upper side by the rise of the surface level of the fuel and is rotated toward the lower side by the drop of the surface level of the fuel regardless of the orientation of the imaginary rotational center axis.
The upper limit stoppers and the lower limit stoppers of the above embodiments are provided at the sender body among the sub-tank and the sender body, which form the supply main body. Alternatively, at least one of the upper limit stopper and the lower limit stopper may be formed by a member or a portion that is provided to the sub-tank rather than the sender body such that the at least one of the upper limit stopper and the lower limit stopper projects along a rotational path of the surface level detection unit.
The main body rotational axis Ar1 and the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 of the above embodiments are located on the opposite sides, respectively, of the longitudinal center of the supply main body. Alternatively, the main body rotational axis Ar1 and the imaginary rotational center axis Ar2 may be placed on a common side of the longitudinal center of the supply main body.
The surface level detection device 40 (see
The fuel supply device of the above embodiments are configured such that the supply main body is rotated about the main body rotational axis relative to the flange and the support stay in the inside of the fuel tank. Alternatively, the supply main body may be configured such that the supply main body is only slidable relative to the flange and the support stay and is not rotatable relative to the flange and the support stay.
The imaginary rotational center axis of the above embodiments is set on the upper side of the main body rotational axis. Alternatively, the position of the main body rotational axis and the position of the imaginary rotational center axis may coincide with each other in the up-and-down direction at the supply main body. Further alternatively, the main body rotational axis may be placed on the upper side of the imaginary rotational center axis.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-90582 | Apr 2016 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2017/013164 | 3/30/2017 | WO | 00 |
