JP2018009556A - Fuel supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel supply device that can reliably guide fuel discharged from a pressure regulator to a fuel suction part while preventing the device from increasing in size. A fuel supply device 11 includes a pressure regulator 45 that is attached to a second housing 18 and discharges excess fuel out of a fuel passage 43 from a discharge port 52, a first housing 17 and a second housing 18. A guide plate 53 that is molded separately from and attached to the second housing 18, receives the fuel discharged from the discharge port 52 of the pressure regulator 45, and guides the fuel toward the inside of the enclosure wall 14, regardless of changes in posture. Equipped with. [Selection diagram] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel supply apparatus.

  Patent document 1 discloses a fuel supply apparatus. The fuel supply device is attached to the lower part of the fuel tank. The fuel supply device includes a scattering prevention guide cover that surrounds the outer periphery of the entire fuel pump unit. The scattering prevention guide cover extends upward from the pump mounting seat. Excess fuel is discharged from the pressure regulator and guided to the fuel reservoir through the scattering prevention guide cover. Therefore, fuel can be guided into the fuel reservoir even when the vehicle body is tilted, so that fuel suction is realized from the fuel suction portion disposed in the fuel reservoir.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-27937

  However, the scattering prevention guide cover surrounds the entire outer periphery of the fuel pump unit and extends from the pump mounting seat to the position of the pressure regulator. The fuel pump unit has a large diameter in the entire vertical direction, and an increase in the size of the fuel supply device is inevitable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a fuel supply device that can reliably guide fuel discharged from a pressure regulator to a fuel suction portion while suppressing an increase in size of the device. Objective.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first housing having a surrounding wall that supports the fuel pump from below and defines an internal space leading to the suction port of the fuel pump, and attached to the fuel pump from above, A second housing that defines a fuel passage that guides fuel discharged from the discharge port of the fuel pump; and a pressure regulator that is attached to the second housing and discharges excess fuel from the fuel passage through the discharge port. And is formed separately from the first housing and the second housing, and is sandwiched and held between the second housing and the fuel pump, and from the discharge port of the pressure regulator regardless of the posture change. A fuel supply device is provided that includes a guide plate that receives discharged fuel and guides the fuel toward the inside of the enclosure wall.

  According to the second aspect, in addition to the configuration of the first side surface, the first housing and the second housing are connected by a snap-fit mechanism so that the first housing and the second housing are the fuel pump. Combined with

  According to the third aspect, in addition to the configuration of either the first or second side, the fuel supply device is formed in the second housing and holds the pressure regulator inside, and the guide And a fitting wall formed on the plate and fitted to the outer periphery of the holding cylinder.

  According to the fourth aspect, in addition to the configurations of the first to third side surfaces, the guide plate faces the outer surface of the fuel pump at an interval that causes fuel to flow over the outer surface of the fuel pump.

  According to the first aspect, the fuel supply device is mounted on a vehicle such as a motorcycle. When the vehicle body tilts on a slope, the fuel supply device tilts. Thus, even if the attitude of the fuel supply device changes, the fuel discharged from the pressure regulator is received by the guide plate and reliably guided to the inside of the enclosure wall. Fuel is sucked into the fuel pump from the suction port of the fuel pump inside the enclosure wall. In this way, running out of fuel is suppressed. Since the guide plate is formed separately from the first housing and the second housing, the shape of the guide plate is not extremely restricted. The enclosure wall can be reduced by the action of the guide plate, so that the fuel pump is opened to the outside of the enclosure wall in a wide range. Compared with the case where the fuel pump is surrounded by the surrounding wall in a wide range, the diameter of the upper part of the fuel supply device can be reduced, and the visibility of the fuel pump is improved. At this time, a fixing tool unique to the guide plate is not required for attaching the guide plate. It is possible to avoid downsizing the mounting work and to reduce the size.

  According to the second aspect, since the snap fit mechanism used for connecting the first housing and the second housing is used, the guide plate can be held with a simple structure.

  According to the third aspect, the guide plate is securely fixed to the pressure regulator. The guide plate is prevented from falling off from the pressure regulator.

  According to the fourth aspect, since the fuel discharged from the pressure regulator is guided to the inside of the enclosure wall along the outer surface of the fuel pump, the guide plate can be minimized.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing an overall image of a fuel supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view showing roughly the structure of a fuel supply device. It is an enlarged plan view which shows roughly the discharge port observed from the downward direction in a pressure regulator. It is an expansion perspective view of a guide plate.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows an overall view of a fuel supply apparatus 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fuel supply device 11 includes a fuel pump 12 and a housing 13 that holds the fuel pump 12. The housing 13 defines a cylindrical enclosure wall 14. The enclosure wall 14 is integrally formed with a flange 15 that projects from the outer peripheral surface of the enclosure wall 14 along a plane orthogonal to the central axis Xs of the enclosure wall 14. A circular opening communicating with the space in the fuel tank T is formed in the bottom plate of the fuel tank T. When the surrounding wall 14 is inserted into the fuel tank T from the opening, the flange 15 overlaps the outer surface of the fuel tank T. The lower case 17 is formed with a fuel take-out pipe 16 positioned outside the fuel tank T when the enclosure wall 14 is inserted into the fuel tank T. A fuel pipe (not shown) connected to the fuel injection valve of the engine is connected to the fuel take-out pipe 16. When the fuel pump 12 is activated, the fuel in the fuel tank T is supplied to the fuel injection valve via the fuel pump 12. The fuel tank T and the fuel injection valve are mounted and used in a saddle-ride type vehicle such as a motorcycle.

  The housing 13 supports the fuel pump 12 from below and has a lower case (first housing) 17 of a resin molded body having an enclosure wall 14 and a fuel take-out pipe 16, and an upper case (second housing) attached to the fuel pump 12 from above. Housing) 18. The fuel pump 12 is sandwiched between the upper case 18 and the lower case 17. A snap-fit mechanism 19 is established between the lower case 17 and the upper case 18 for connection.

  The snap-fit mechanism 19 is partitioned into the lower case 17, and is formed on the outer surface of the upper case 18, and is formed on the outer surface of the upper case 18, and is engaged with the plate piece 21 and away from the lower case 17. And a protrusion 22 for restricting the displacement of the upper case 18. The plate piece 21 is formed with a window hole 23 that allows the protrusion 22 to enter. The upper edge 23 a of the window hole 23 is partitioned by a plane orthogonal to the central axis Xs of the enclosure wall 14. Similarly, the upper end 22a of the projecting piece 22 is partitioned by a plane orthogonal to the central axis Xs of the surrounding wall 14. The lower end 22b of the projecting piece 22 is partitioned by an inclined surface that moves away from the outer surface of the upper case 18 as it goes upward. A thin piece 21 a is defined on the plate piece 21 along the side edge of the window hole 23, and the upper end of the plate piece 21 can be displaced away from the central axis Xs of the surrounding wall 14 by the action of the fine piece 21 a. When the plate piece 21 slides on the outer surface of the upper case 18 in parallel with the central axis Xs of the surrounding wall 14, the plate piece 21 climbs over the inclined surface according to the elastic deformation of the plate piece 21 and rides on the protruding piece 22. If the upper case 18 and the lower case 17 continue to approach each other as they are, the upper end of the plate piece 21 passes through the protruding piece 22 and again overlaps the outer surface of the upper case 18. At this time, the projecting piece 22 enters the window hole 23 of the plate piece 21. The upper end 22 a of the projecting piece 22 is in surface contact with the upper edge 23 a of the window hole 23 in a plane perpendicular to the outer surface of the upper case 18, and as a result, upward displacement of the upper case 18 is prevented with respect to the lower case 17.

  Here, a regulating piece 24 that regulates the displacement of the plate piece 21 is formed integrally with the upper case 18. The restricting piece 24 has opposing surfaces on the outer surface of the upper case 18 that face each other at an interval corresponding to the plate thickness of the plate piece 21. The plate piece 21 is disposed between the opposing surface of the regulating piece 24 and the outer surface of the upper case 18. Since the restricting piece 24 is coupled to the upper case 18 at both ends in the circumferential direction around the central axis Xs of the surrounding wall 14, the displacement of the restricting piece 24 is restricted in a direction away from the central axis Xs of the surrounding wall 14. The upper edge of the restricting piece 24 may be arranged at a position away from the protruding piece 22 by a distance corresponding to the distance from the upper end of the plate piece 21 to the lower edge of the window hole 23. According to such an arrangement, when the upper case 18 and the lower case 17 are coupled to each other, the deformation in the direction away from the central axis Xs of the plate piece 21 is restricted by the restriction piece 24, and the projecting piece 22 and the window hole 23. The upper case 18 is prevented from being detached from the lower case 17.

  A support arm 26 that supports the liquid level detection device 25 is formed integrally with the upper case 18. The support arm 26 extends in an oblique direction so as to move away from the lower case 17 as it moves away from the outer surface of the upper case 18. Such an oblique direction is specified by a vector V that intersects the central axis Xs at a predetermined inclination angle in a virtual plane including the central axis Xs of the surrounding wall 14. The support arm 26 projects outward from the virtual cylindrical surface extending in parallel with the central axis Xs from the upper end of the enclosure wall 14.

  The liquid level detection device 25 includes a sensor rotor 27 that is rotatably attached to the support arm 26. The sensor rotor 27 is configured in a disc shape that rotates around the rotation axis Xs. A sensor rod 28 is fixed to the sensor rotor 27. The sensor rod 28 is fixed to the sensor rotor 27 on the diameter line of the disc. A float 29 is connected to the tip of the sensor rod 28. The float 29 exhibits buoyancy in a liquid fuel such as gasoline. The float 29 can float on the liquid level of the fuel by the action of buoyancy. The sensor rotor 27 rotates according to the vertical movement of the float 29. The position of the liquid level is detected according to the angular position of the sensor rotor 27. The liquid level detection device 25 outputs a signal specifying the detected liquid level to the display device of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel pump 12 includes a cylindrical housing 32 that is open at both ends in the axial direction, a first cover member 33 a that is coupled to one end of the cylindrical housing 32 and closes one open end of the cylindrical housing 32, A second cover member 33b coupled to the other end of the cylindrical housing 32 and closing the other open end of the cylindrical housing 32; The cylindrical housing 32 is made of a metal cylinder such as aluminum. An electric motor 36 connected to the drive shaft 35 of the impeller 34 is accommodated in the cylindrical housing 32. The electric motor 36 includes a rotor 37a that is coupled to the drive shaft 35, and a stator 37b that faces the rotor 37a outside the rotation path of the rotor 37a. The rotor 37a is composed of, for example, a permanent magnet. The stator 37b is composed of, for example, an electromagnetic coil group. The drive shaft 35 is rotated based on the electric power supplied to the stator 37b. Thus, the impeller 34 rotates. The central axis of the cylindrical housing 32 is arranged in parallel to the central axis Xs of the enclosure wall 14.

  The first cover member 33a is formed of a resin molded body. The first cover member 33 a is coupled to the lower end of the cylindrical housing 32 when the central axis of the cylindrical housing 32 stands upright in the vertical direction, and defines the impeller chamber 38 in the cylindrical housing 32. The impeller 34 is accommodated in the impeller chamber 38. The first cover member 33 a defines a suction flow path 39 that connects the suction port 12 a of the fuel pump 12 to the impeller chamber 38. When the impeller 34 is rotated by the action of the electric motor 36, the fuel flows through the suction passage 39 from the suction port 12 a toward the impeller chamber 38.

  The second cover member 33b is formed of a resin molded body. The second cover member 33b is coupled to the upper end of the cylindrical housing 32 when the central axis of the cylindrical housing 32 stands upright in the vertical direction. The second cover member 33 b defines the discharge port 12 b of the fuel pump 12. When the impeller 34 rotates, fuel is discharged from the discharge port 12b under a predetermined pressure.

  The lower case 17 includes a flat bottom plate 41 that supports the fuel pump 12 from below. The enclosure wall 14 extends upward from the bottom plate 41. The surrounding wall 14 surrounds the fuel pump 12 around the central axis Xs. The enclosure wall 14 defines an internal space 14 a that communicates with the suction port 12 a of the fuel pump 12. A fuel suction path for guiding fuel to the suction port 12a of the fuel pump 12 is established inside the enclosure wall 14.

  A fuel filter 42 is disposed inside the enclosure wall 14. The fuel filter 42 is disposed in the inner space of the enclosure wall 14, that is, in the fuel suction path. The fuel filter 42 is connected to the suction port 12 a of the fuel pump 12. The fuel flowing into the inside of the enclosure wall 14 is filtered by the fuel filter 42 and sucked into the fuel pump 12 from the suction port 12a.

  The upper case 18 defines a fuel passage 43 connected to the discharge port 12 b of the fuel pump 12. The fuel passage 43 receives the discharge port 12 b of the fuel pump 12 in a posture in which the center line of the discharge port 12 b is disposed in parallel to the axis of the drive shaft 35. The fuel passage 43 is connected to the fuel outlet pipe 44 of the lower case 17. The fuel passage 43 guides the fuel discharged from the discharge port 12 b of the fuel pump 12 to the fuel outlet pipe 44. The fuel lead-out pipe 44 is connected to the fuel take-out pipe 16 and rises from the bottom plate 41 in the vertical direction in parallel to the central axis Xs. The fuel discharged from the discharge port 12 b of the fuel pump 12 is taken out of the fuel tank T from the fuel take-out pipe 16 via the fuel passage 43 and the fuel outlet pipe 44.

  A pressure regulator 45 is connected to the upper case 18. The pressure regulator 45 is incorporated in the upper case 18. A holding cylinder 46 is defined in the upper case 18 for assembling. The pressure regulator 45 is held inside the holding cylinder 46. The central axis of the holding cylinder 46 is arranged in parallel to the central line of the discharge port 12b.

  The pressure regulator 45 includes a valve body 48 disposed in a fuel return passage 47 branched from the fuel passage 43. An elastic member that presses the valve body 48 toward the valve seat 49 against the pressure of the fuel passage 43, that is, a string spring 51 is connected to the valve body 48. When the pressure of the fuel passage 43 exceeds a predetermined value, the valve body 48 moves away from the valve seat 49 against the elastic force of the coiled spring 51, and the fuel is discharged downward from the downward discharge port 52. In this way, the pressure regulator 45 discharges excess fuel from the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 12 downward. Excess fuel is returned into the fuel tank T. As shown in FIG. 3, the discharge ports 52 are discretely opened around the valve body 48 on the lower surface of the pressure regulator 45.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel supply device 11 includes a guide plate 53 that is molded separately from the lower case 17 and the upper case 18. The guide plate 53 is sandwiched and held between the upper case 18 and the fuel pump 12. The guide plate 53 has a spread located below the discharge port 52 of the pressure regulator 45 regardless of the change in the attitude of the fuel supply device 11. The attitude of the fuel supply device 11 rotates about an axis that is orthogonal to a virtual plane that includes the central axis Xs and that defines the straight traveling direction of the vehicle. The guide plate 53 has an edge 53a that faces the gap G determined on the outward cylindrical surface of the second cover member 33b. The edge 53a only needs to be opposed to the outward cylindrical surface of the first cover member 33b at equal intervals.

  The guide plate 53 includes a fitting wall 54 that is fitted to the outer periphery of the holding cylinder 46. The fitting wall 54 includes a first wall body 55 disposed at a position farther from the central axis line Xs than the edge 53a, and a second wall body 56 disposed at a position closer to the central axis line Xs than the edge 53a. The first wall 55 is connected to the upper case 18 at a position farthest from the central axis Xs of the enclosure wall 14. An auxiliary fitting wall 58 is integrally coupled to the second wall body 56 via a connection plate 57 that is superimposed on the end face of the fuel pump 12. The auxiliary fitting wall 58 is formed of a partial cylindrical body coaxial with the fitting wall 54. The fitting wall 54 is fitted on the outer periphery of the holding cylinder 46, and the fitting wall 54 can reliably prevent the guide plate 53 from being detached from the upper case 18.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the guide plate 53 includes a guide path 59 that is partitioned from the first wall body 55 of the fitting wall 54 toward the edge 53 a. The guide path 59 extends from the first wall body 55 toward the edge 53a and is partitioned by wall surfaces 61 facing each other. The fuel discharged from the discharge port 52 of the pressure regulator 45 is guided by the guide path 59 and flows out from the edge 53a toward the second cover member 33b of the fuel pump 12. The guide plate 53 faces the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the second cover member 33b at an interval G that causes fuel to flow over the outer surface of the fuel pump 12.

  A cutout 62 extending downward from the upper end is defined in the first wall body 55 of the fitting wall 54. Reinforcing ribs (not shown) formed in the upper case 18 are fitted into the notches 62. Thus, the angular position between the fitting wall 54 and the holding cylinder 46 is fixed around the central axis of the holding cylinder 46. The guide plate 53 can be positioned with respect to the upper case 18.

  An opening 63 extending upward from the lower end connected to the connection plate 57 is defined in the second wall body 56 of the fitting wall 54. Similarly, an opening 64 extending upward from the lower end connected to the connection plate 57 is defined in the auxiliary fitting wall 58. When the amount of fuel discharged from the pressure regulator 45 is large and fuel cannot flow from between the fuel pump 12 and the edge 53a, the flow of fuel is guided from the openings 63 and 64 toward the end face of the fuel pump 12. The The fuel flows along the outer surface of the fuel pump 12 and flows into the internal space 14a of the side wall 41b. In this way, fuel recovery is reliably realized.

  The fuel supply device 11 is mounted on a vehicle such as a motorcycle. At this time, the pressure regulator 45 is disposed in front of or behind the vehicle with respect to the central axis Xs. That is, the center line of the guide plate 53 is superimposed on a virtual vertical plane that includes the center axis Xs and defines the straight traveling direction of the vehicle. When the vehicle body tilts on a slope (uphill or downhill), the fuel supply device 11 tilts. Even if the attitude of the fuel supply device 11 changes in this way, the fuel discharged from the pressure regulator 45 flows along the guide plate 53 and reliably flows down from the edge 53a of the guide plate 53 toward the outer surface of the fuel pump 12. The fuel flows along the outer surface of the fuel pump 12 into the enclosure wall 14. The fuel is sucked into the fuel pump 12 from the suction port 12 a of the fuel pump 12 inside the enclosure wall 14.

  When the vehicle body tilts on a slope or the like, the fuel supply device 11 tilts. Thus, even if the attitude of the fuel supply device 11 changes, the fuel discharged from the pressure regulator 45 is received by the guide plate 53 and reliably guided to the inside of the surrounding wall 14. The fuel is sucked into the fuel pump 12 from the suction port 12 a of the fuel pump 12 inside the enclosure wall 14. In this way, running out of fuel is suppressed. Since the guide plate 53 is molded separately from the lower case 17 and the upper case 18, the shape of the guide plate 53 is not extremely restricted. The enclosure wall 14 can be reduced by the action of the guide plate 53. As a result, the fuel pump 12 is opened to the outside of the enclosure wall 14 in a wide range. Compared with the case where the fuel pump 12 is surrounded by the surrounding wall 14 in a wide range, the diameter of the upper portion of the fuel supply device 11 can be reduced, and the visibility of the fuel pump 12 is improved. Installation work and maintenance work can be simplified.

  In the fuel supply device 11, the guide plate 53 is held between the upper case 18 and the fuel pump 12. When the guide plate 53 is attached, a fixture unique to the guide plate 53 is not required. It is possible to reduce the size by avoiding complicated installation work.

  The fuel supply device 11 includes a snap fit mechanism 19. The lower case 17 and the upper case 18 are connected to each other by a snap fit mechanism 19. Thus, the lower case 17 and the upper case 18 are coupled to the fuel pump 12. Since the snap-fit mechanism 19 used for connecting the lower case 17 and the upper case 18 is used, the guide plate 53 can be held with a simple structure.

  Further, the fuel supply device 11 is formed in the upper case 18, a holding cylinder 46 that holds the pressure regulator 45 inside, and a fitting wall 54 that is formed in the guide plate 53 and fitted on the outer periphery of the holding cylinder 46. With. The guide plate 53 is securely fixed to the pressure regulator 45. The guide plate 53 is prevented from falling off from the pressure regulator 45.

  Further, the guide plate 53 has an edge 53 a that faces the outer surface of the fuel pump 12 at an interval G that causes fuel to flow on the outer surface of the fuel pump 12. Since the fuel discharged from the pressure regulator 45 is guided to the inside of the surrounding wall 14 along the outer surface of the fuel pump 12, the guide plate 53 can be minimized.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Fuel supply apparatus, 12 ... Fuel pump, 12a ... Suction port, 12b ... Discharge port, 14 ... Enclosure wall, 14a ... Internal space, 17 ... 1st housing (lower case), 18 ... 2nd housing (upper case) , 43 ... Fuel passageway, 45 ... Pressure regulator, 46 ... Holding cylinder, 52 ... Discharge port, 53 ... Guide plate, 54 ... Fitting wall, G ... Spacing.

Claims (4)

A first housing (17) having a surrounding wall (14) that supports an internal space (14a) that supports the fuel pump (12) from below and communicates with the suction port (12a) of the fuel pump (12);
A second housing (18) which is attached to the fuel pump (12) from above and defines a fuel passage (43) for guiding fuel discharged from the discharge port (12b) of the fuel pump (12);
A pressure regulator (45) attached to the second housing (18) for discharging surplus fuel out of the fuel in the fuel passage (43) from a discharge port (52);
It is formed separately from the first housing (17) and the second housing (18), and is sandwiched and held between the second housing (18) and the fuel pump (12). Regardless of this, a guide plate (53) for receiving the fuel discharged from the discharge port (52) of the pressure regulator (45) and guiding the fuel toward the inside of the enclosure wall (14) is provided. Fuel supply device.   The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the first housing (17) and the second housing (18) are connected by a snap-fit mechanism (19), whereby the first housing (17) and the first housing (17) are connected. 2. A fuel supply device, wherein the two housings (18) are coupled to the fuel pump (12). The fuel supply device according to claim 1 or 2,
A holding cylinder (46) formed in the second housing (18) and holding the pressure regulator (45) inside;
A fuel supply device comprising: a fitting wall (54) formed on the guide plate (53) and fitted on the outer periphery of the holding cylinder (46). The fuel supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the guide plate (53) is spaced from the fuel pump (12) by an interval (G) that causes fuel to flow over an outer surface of the fuel pump (12). A fuel supply device that faces the outer surface of the fuel.

Images