Patent Application
20170122273
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-75689 filed on Apr. 1, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a fuel tank lid having a lid part and an internal terminal with a central portion covered and protected by the lid part, and a fuel pump module having the fuel tank lid.
As shown in Patent Literature 1, a fuel supply device, which includes a fuel tank, a fuel pump unit installed inside the fuel tank, and a controller for the fuel pump unit, is known as prior art. The fuel supply device includes a chamber that accommodates the controller, and a lid member that covers the opening of the chamber. The lid member has a higher fuel permeability than the chamber.
In the fuel supply device disclosed in Patent Literature 1, as described above, the lid member has a higher fuel permeability than the chamber. Therefore, when fuel vapor flows into a hollow space formed by the chamber and lid member (storage part), the fuel vapor can be discharged to the external atmosphere through the lid member. However, the fuel supply device shown in Patent Literature 1 lacks a configuration that minimizes the entrance of fuel vapor into the hollow space. Therefore, there is a risk that the fuel vapor entering the hollow space may contact and damage the controller.
Patent Literature 1: 3P2003-269276A
In view of the problem described above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a fuel tank lid that minimizes entrance of fuel vapor into a hollow space of a storage part, and a fuel pump module having the fuel tank lid.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the fuel tank lid includes a lid part closing an opening of a fuel tank, and an internal terminal electrically connecting a pump provided inside the fuel tank with a drive circuit driving the pump. The lid part includes an inserted part inserted into the opening, a storage part located outside the fuel tank and storing the drive circuit in a hollow space of the storage part, and a connection part located outside the fuel tank and connecting the inserted part and the storage part. The internal terminal has a central portion, a first end, and a second end, the central portion is covered and protected by the inserted part, the connection part, and the storage part that are made of a resin material, the first end is connected to the pump inside the fuel tank, and the second end is connected to the drive circuit inside the hollow space of the storage part. The fuel tank lid further includes a discharge part discharging a fuel vapor that tries to travel along an interface between the internal terminal and the lid part and enter the hollow space of the storage part, to an external atmosphere, and the discharge part is formed in the connection part where thickness is locally reduced such that a portion of the central portion of the internal terminal is exposed from the lid part for discharging. The fuel tank lid further includes a protection part covering the portion of the central portion of the internal terminal exposed from the lid part by the presence of the discharge part to protect the portion from a liquid.
Therefore, even when fuel vapor flows along the interface between the internal terminal and the lid part from the fuel tank into the hollow space of the storage part, the fuel vapor can be discharged to the external atmosphere through the first discharge part before reaching the hollow space of the storage part. Therefore, damage potential of the drive circuit caused by fuel vapor is reduced.
Since the first discharge part is covered with the protection part, the internal terminal is prevented from being in contact with a liquid such as water. Therefore, the possibility of failure occurring in the fuel tank lid is reduced.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
A fuel tank lid 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The fuel tank lid 100 includes a lid part 10, the internal terminal 30, and a discharge structure 50. The lid part 10, while closing the opening 200a of the fuel tank 200 together with the flange 110, serves as the function of carrying the drive circuit 400. The lid part 10 closes a part of the opening 200a of the fuel tank 200 by dosing the opening 110a of the flange 110, as described above.
The lid part 10 includes an inserted part 11 that is inserted into the opening 110a (opening 200a), a storage part 12 that is located outside the fuel tank 200 and stores the drive circuit 400 in a hollow space in itself, and a connection part 13 that is located outside the fuel tank 200 and connects the inserted part 11 and the storage part 12. As shown in
The storage part 12 includes a side wall 14 that is in an annular shape, an upper closure part 15 that closes a first opening, which is positioned vertically on an upper side, of the two openings of the side wall 14 and a lower closure part 16 that closes a second opening positioned vertically on a lower side. The inserted part 11, the connection part 13, and the side wall 14 are all made of the same resin material. Here, the resin material is a polyphenylene sulfide resin, or polybutylene terephthalate resin, for example.
The side wall 14 is made of a material having a fuel vapor permeability higher than the upper closure part 15 is, and includes a first annular part 14a to which the upper closure part 15 is assembled, and a second annular part 14b to which the lower closure part 16 is assembled. The first annular part 14a has an inner diameter in the x direction shorter than that of the second annular part 14b, such that a step 14c is formed at the connecting portion between the first annular part 14a and the second annular part 14b accordance with the difference in inner diameter. A space is formed between the step 14c and the flange 110, and the lower closure part 16 is assembled to the second annular part 14b in a state where the upper peripheral surface of the lower closure part 16 faces the step 14c. As shown in
The upper closure part 15 is made of a metal material such as copper or aluminum, and serves as the function of dissipating the heat generated in the drive circuit 400 to the external atmosphere. The upper closure part 15 according to the present embodiment includes an enclosure part 15a that surrounds the first annular part 14a in contact with the outer annular surface of the first annular part 14a, and a ceiling part 15b that closes the first opening of the side wall 14. The drive circuit 400 is formed by a plurality of electronic elements, at least one of these electronic elements being mounted on the upper closure part 15. In the present embodiment, all the electronic elements that form the drive circuit 400 are mounted on the upper closure part 15. In this way, contact between fuel vapor that has entered the hollow space of the storage part 12 and the electronic components of the drive circuit 400 is avoided. The lower closure part 16 is made of a material having a fuel vapor permeability higher than the upper closure part 15 is.
The connection part 13 is a female connector case in which a male connector of an external device is to be fitted. The connection part 13 includes a tubular part 19 that surrounds the male connector, has a bottom surface, and extends in the z direction, and an extension part 20 that connects the tubular part 19 with the side wall 14 and extends in the x direction. A male connector is inserted into the cavity formed by the tubular part 19. When the male connector fits in the tubular part 19, the cavity is shut out from the external atmosphere. The extension part 20 is in contact with the upper surface of a portion of the inserted part 11 exposed to the external atmosphere outside the fuel tank 200, and an outer annular surface of the side wall 14, and connects the upper surface and the outer annular surface mechanically. As shown in
The internal terminal 30 electrically connects the pump 300 with the drive circuit 400. The internal terminal 30 is insert-molded in the inserted part 11, the connection part 13, and the side wall 14. A central portion 31 of the internal terminal 30 is covered and protected by the inserted part 11, the connection part 13, and the side wall 14. A first end 32 is exposed from the inserted part 11 into the fuel tank 200, while a second end 33 is exposed from the side wall 14 into the hollow space of the storage part 12. The first end 32 is electrically connected to the pump 300, while the second end 33 is electrically connected to the drive circuit 400.
The discharge structure 50 includes a first discharge part 51 that minimizes entrance of fuel vapor into the hollow space of the storage part 12, and a second discharge part 52 that discharges the fuel vapor that has entered into the hollow space of the storage part 12 to the external atmosphere. There is a possibility that fuel vapor may travel up along the interface between the internal terminal 30 and the lid part 10 into the hollow space of the storage part 12 as indicated with a broken line arrow in
The first discharge part 51 is to discharge fuel vapor that tries to travel along the interface between the internal terminal 30 and the lid part 10 and enter the hollow space of the storage part 12. As shown in
The inserted part 11, the connection part 13, and the side wall 14 are made of the same resin material, and the internal terminal 30 is insert-molded in the inserted part 11, the connection part 13, and the side wall 14 as mentioned above. For the insert-molding of the internal terminal 30, the central portion 31 of the internal terminal 30 is to be placed inside a metal mold 150 for forming the inserted part 11, the connection part 13, and the side wall 14, as shown in
Normally, the support pins 151 are pulled out from the metal mold 150 successively during the process of applying molten resin into the metal mold 150 so as to avoid creation of uncovered portions in the central portion 31 because of the support pins 151. However, as described above, the first discharge part 51 is a recess formed in the connection part 13 by locally reducing the thickness such that a part of the central portion 31 is exposed from the lid part 10. In other words, the support pin 151 located at the position where the first discharge part 51 is to be formed is not pulled out during the process of applying molten resin into the metal mold, and after the resin is cured, the cured resin is removed from the metal mold 150. The first discharge part 51 is formed in this way. In
The second discharge part 52 is a discharge port 54 formed in the lower closure part 16 positioned vertically lower than the upper closure part 15. The fuel tank lid 100 is mounted on a vehicle. The discharge port 54 is disposed in the downwind of the air flow created during driving of the vehicle as shown with a white arrow in
As shown in
Next, the advantageous effects of the fuel tank lid 100 according to the embodiment will be described. As described above, the first discharge part 51 is formed in the connection part 13 for discharging fuel vapor that tries to travel along the interface between the internal terminal 30 and the lid part 10 and enter the hollow space of the storage part 12. Therefore, even when fuel vapor flows along the interface between the internal terminal 30 and the lid part 10 from the fuel tank 200 into the hollow space of the storage part 12, the fuel vapor can be discharged to the external atmosphere through the first discharge part 51 before reaching the hollow space of the storage part 12. Therefore, damage potential of the drive circuit 400 caused by fuel vapor is reduced.
Since the first discharge part 51 is covered with the protection part 53, the internal terminal 30 is prevented from being in contact with a liquid such as water. Therefore, the possibility of failure occurring in the fuel tank lid 100 is reduced.
The protection part 53 is made of a material having a fuel vapor permeability higher than the resin material forming the connection part 13. Therefore, fuel vapor can be discharged more efficiently as compared to when the protection part is made of the same synthetic resin as that of the connection part.
The protection part 53 is made of an adhesive that allows permeation of gasses including the fuel vapor but not of liquids, and the first discharge part 51, which is a recess, is filled with the protection part 53. The connection part 13 thus has no portions where the thickness is locally reduced, such that a reduction in the mechanical strength of the connection part 13 is avoided.
In a portion of the central portion 31 of the internal terminal 30 closer to the storage part 12 than the first discharge part 51, there is provided the stopper member 60 that stops the flow of fuel vapor that tries to enter the hollow space of the storage part 12. Therefore, fuel vapor that could not be discharged to the external atmosphere through the first discharge part 51 is prevented by the stopper member 60 from entering the hollow space of the storage part 12.
The first discharge part 51 is formed by the support pin 151 of the metal mold 150. This way, the production of the fuel tank lid 100 is simplified, as compared to the method of forming the first discharge part by removing a part of the connection part by grinding after the connection part has been formed.
Since the fuel vapor is heavier than the air, the fuel vapor that has entered the hollow space of the storage part 12 accumulates from the lower closure part 16 toward the upper closure part 15. The discharge port 54 is formed in the lower closure part 16 that is positioned vertically lower than the upper closure part 15. Therefore, the fuel vapor can be discharged to the external atmosphere more efficiently as compared to a configuration where the discharge port is formed in the upper closure part. Therefore, damage potential of the drive circuit 400 caused by fuel vapor is reduced.
All the electronic elements that form the drive circuit 400 are mounted on the upper closure part 15. With this configuration, contact between fuel vapor and electronic elements can be avoided.
The opening 200a of the fuel tank 200 is positioned vertically higher than the walls that form the fuel tank 200. Therefore, unlike a configuration where the opening of the fuel tank is positioned vertically lower than the walls, stagnation of fuel vapor around the opening 200a (around the fuel tank lid 100) because of the walls is reduced.
The discharge port 54 is disposed in the downwind of the air flow created during driving. Therefore, the fuel vapor discharged from the discharge port 54 to the external atmosphere can be driven away from the fuel tank lid 100 by the air flow. Thus, contact between fuel vapor and electronic elements of the drive circuit 400 is avoided.
The discharge port 54 is covered with the breathable filter 55. Therefore, liquid such as water is prevented from entering the hollow space of the storage part 12.
The lower closure part 16 and the side wall 14 are each made of a material having a fuel vapor permeability higher than the upper closure part 15 is. Therefore, fuel vapor can be discharged to the external atmosphere through the lower closure part 16 and the side wall 14.
The present embodiment showed an example where the protection part 53 is made of an adhesive. The protection part 53 is not limited to the example. For example, as shown in
The present embodiment showed an example where the first discharge part 51 is located directly below the hollow space of the storage part 12 in the extension part 20, as shown in
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
The first embodiment showed an example where the first discharge part 51 is formed in the extension part 20 of the connection part 13, and the first discharge part 51 is covered with the protection part 53 that is an adhesive. In the present embodiment, as shown in
While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure should not be interpreted to be limited to these embodiments, and can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the subject matter of the present disclosure.
The embodiments showed an example where the fuel tank lid 100 and the flange 110 are separate parts. However, the lid part 10 of the fuel tank lid 100 may be integral with the flange 110. In this case, the fuel tank lid 100 alone closes the opening 200a of the fuel tank 200 entirely.
While the fuel tank lid 100 has been mainly described in each embodiment, the present disclosure includes the fuel pump module 500 that includes the fuel tank lid 100, the fuel tank 200, the drive circuit 400, and the pump 300.
The embodiments showed an example where the inserted part 11, the connection part 13, and the side wall 14 are made of polyphenylene sulfide resin or polybutylene terephthalate resin. However, the resin material that forms the inserted part 11, the connection part 13, and the side wall 14 is not limited to the examples given above.
The embodiments showed an example where the second annular part 14b has a screw-fastened portion 18 such that the lid part 10 is fastened to the flange 110 with screws 17. However, the structure for fastening the lid part 10 to the flange 110 is not limited to the example given above.
The embodiments showed an example where all the electronic elements that form the drive circuit 400 are mounted on the upper closure part 15. An alternative configuration may be adopted, where, of the plurality of electronic elements forming the drive circuit 400, only those that are prone to deteriorate through contact with fuel vapor, in particular, are mounted on the upper closure part 15. Alternatively, all the electronic elements forming the drive circuit 400 may be mounted on the lower closure part 16 or the side wall 14 instead of the upper closure part 15.
The embodiments showed an example where the fuel tank lid 100 is exposed to the air flow created during driving. Alternatively, the fuel tank lid 100 may not be exposed to the air flow created during driving.
The embodiments showed an example where the discharge port 54 is arranged in the downwind of the air flow created during driving. Alternatively, the discharge port 54 may be arranged in the upwind of the air flow created during driving.
The embodiments showed an example where the discharge port 54 is covered with the breathable filter 55. Alternatively, the discharge port 54 may not be covered with the breathable filter 55.
The embodiments showed an example where the inserted part 11 and the connection part 13 are made of the same resin material. Alternatively, the connection part 13 may be made of a material that has a fuel vapor permeability higher than the inserted part 11 is. With this configuration, fuel vapor can be discharged to the external atmosphere not only through the first discharge part 51 but also through the connection part 13.
The embodiments showed an example where the connection part 13 is a female connector. The connection part 13 is not limited to the example given above and may have any shape as long as the connection part 13 connects the inserted part 11 and the storage part 12 and covers the internal terminal 30.
The embodiments showed an example where the discharge structure 50 includes the first discharge part 51 and the second discharge part 52. Alternatively, the discharge structure 50 may have only the first discharge part 51.
The embodiments showed an example where the first discharge part 51 is formed by the support pin 151 in the metal mold 150. The method of forming the first discharge part 51 is not limited to the example given above. For example, the first discharge part 51 can be formed by bringing a part of the central portion 31 of the internal terminal 30 into contact with an inner wall surface of the metal mold 150. Alternatively, the first discharge part 51 may be formed by grinding a part of the connection part 13.
While the present disclosure has been described with reference to embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and constructions. The present disclosure is intended to cover various modification and equivalent arrangements. In addition, while the various combinations and configurations, other combinations and configurations, including more, less or only a single element, are also within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-075689 | Apr 2014 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2015/001734 | 3/26/2015 | WO | 00 |
