JP6527360B2 - Vehicle fuel tank - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel tank for a vehicle.

  Patent Document 1 describes a fuel tank in which a tank body (flexible container) is deformed in accordance with the remaining amount of fuel. In the fuel tank, when the fuel in the tank body decreases, the vacuum pump is driven to contract the tank body.

JP, 2006-193127, A

Patent Document 1 does not describe a breather tube for exhausting a gas (evaporated gas) generated in a tank main body at the time of fuel injection (at the time of refueling). Further, Patent Document 1 does not describe a vent tube for exhausting evaporative gas generated in a tank body at the time of fuel consumption or the like.
In a fuel tank having a flexible tank body which is deformed according to the amount of stored fuel as described in Patent Document 1, a breather joint connecting a breather tube to the tank body and a vent tube to the tank body are connected Evaporative gas (fuel vapor) generated in the tank body may not be properly exhausted unless the vent joint is disposed at a suitable position.
For example, if the evaporative gas in the tank body is not properly exhausted at the time of fuel injection, there is a problem such as the auto stop function (function to automatically stop the fuel supply from the fueling gun at the specified fuel amount) not working properly. It occurs.

  Then, this invention makes it a subject to provide the fuel tank for vehicles which can exhaust the gas inside a flexible container appropriately while storing fuel inside a flexible container.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a flexible container which is accommodated in a pressure resistant container and stores fuel therein, and a breather tube for evacuating gas inside the flexible container at the time of fuel injection; And a fuel tank for vehicles. A breather joint to which the breather tube is connected is provided on the top surface of the flexible container, and the breather joint is disposed at the center of the top surface.

  According to the present invention, in a vehicle fuel tank for storing fuel inside the flexible container, a breather joint is disposed at the center of the top surface of the flexible container. At the time of fuel injection, the flexible container expands with the center of the top surface rising to the top, so when fuel is injected, the gas inside the flexible container collects at the center of the top surface, and the liquid surface of the fuel However, the injection of fuel proceeds without blocking the breather joint. Therefore, the breather joint is not closed until the specified amount of fuel is stored in the flexible container, and the autostop function of automatically stopping the injection of the fuel can be appropriately operated.

  The fuel tank for a vehicle according to the present invention may further include a vent tube for exhausting evaporated gas generated by vaporization of the fuel inside the flexible container, and the ceiling of the flexible container A surface is provided with a vent joint to which the vent tube is connected, and a plurality of the vent joints are provided so as to surround the breather joint on the top surface.

  According to the invention, a vent joint is arranged around the center of the top of the flexible container. At the time of fuel consumption, the flexible container shrinks with the center of the top surface hanging down to the bottom, so when fuel is consumed, a space is created around the center and evaporative gas is easily generated in this space. By disposing the vent joint around the center, the vent joint is disposed at a position where the evaporative gas is likely to be accumulated, which enables effective exhaust of the evaporative gas.

Further, the fuel tank for a vehicle according to the present invention is characterized in that the top surface is rectangular, and the vent joint is disposed in a direction from the center of the top surface to a corner of the top surface.
According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively exhaust the evaporated gas generated at the corner of the flexible container.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the vent joint is attached near the corner.
According to the present invention, the evaporative gas generated at the corner of the flexible container can be exhausted more effectively.

In the vent joint of a fuel tank for a vehicle according to the present invention, a flange portion extending along the top surface of the flexible container is welded to the top surface and attached to the flexible container, and the flange portion Is extended toward the corner.
According to the present invention, it is possible to attach the vent joint to the flexible container with a simple structure for welding the flange portion to the top surface. Furthermore, since the flange portion extends toward the corner of the flexible container, the corner of the top surface of the flexible container is reinforced.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle fuel tank capable of storing fuel inside the flexible container and appropriately exhausting the gas inside the flexible container.

It is a sectional view of a fuel tank for vehicles. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of an internal structure of a breather valve, (a) is a figure which shows the state which the fuel has not flowed in the inside of a housing, (b) is a figure which shows the state which the fuel flowed in the inside of a housing. is there. It is a sectional view of a vent joint. It is a top view which shows the top | upper surface of the tank main body of the state in which the fuel of regulation amount was stored. It is sectional drawing which shows the shape change of a tank main body typically, (a) is a figure which shows the state which a tank main body is empty, (b) is a state where a tank main body expands at the time of fuel injection, and a top face goes up. FIG. 6C shows a state in which the center of the top surface of the tank body rises to the upper limit at the time of fuel injection, and FIG. 7D shows a state in which a specified amount of fuel is stored in the tank body. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the shape change of the tank main body at the time of fuel consumption.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle fuel tank. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of the breather valve, in which (a) shows a state in which fuel does not flow into the inside of the housing, and (b) shows a state in which fuel flows into the inside of the housing FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vent joint.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle fuel tank 1 of the present embodiment has a pressure resistant container 2 and a tank body 3. The fuel Fu is stored inside the tank body 3. The tank main body 3 is a flexible container having flexibility and is accommodated in the pressure resistant container 2. The pressure-resistant container 2 is formed so as to cover the periphery of the tank main body 3, and an upper surface 2a is formed on the upper side (upper side in the vehicle vertical direction).
The fuel Fu stored in the tank body 3 is drawn by the pump unit 8a and supplied to the engine 8 as a power source.
Further, a breather pipe 51 and a vent pipe 61 are connected to the pressure container 2. The breather pipe 51 and the vent pipe 61 penetrate the pressure resistant container 2 and are opened inside the pressure resistant container 2 respectively.

A filler pipe 4 for fuel injection is connected to the vehicle fuel tank 1. The filler pipe 4 penetrates the pressure container 2. The tip 4 a of the filler pipe 4 is disposed inside the tank body 3.
In addition, the tank body 3 is provided with a breather joint 5a. The breather joint 5 a is provided on the top surface 3 a of the tank body 3. The top surface 3 a is a surface that forms the upper side of the tank body 3.

Since the tank body 3 has flexibility, the top surface 3a moves up and down according to the storage amount of the fuel Fu. For example, when the storage amount of fuel Fu decreases, the tank body 3 contracts and the top surface 3a moves downward.
In the present embodiment, the state where the specified amount of fuel Fu is stored in the tank body 3 is considered to be full.

The breather tube 5 is connected to the breather joint 5a. The breather tube 5 is connected to the breather pipe 51 inside the pressure resistant container 2. One end of the breather pipe 51 is open in the vicinity of the filler port 4 b in the filler pipe 4. Further, the tip end portion 5a1 of the breather joint 5a is open, and the inside of the breather pipe 51 and the tank main body 3 are in communication via the breather joint 5a and the breather tube 5.
Evaporated gas (fuel vapor) generated inside the tank body 3 at the time of fuel injection flows through the breather pipe 51 via the breather joint 5a and the breather tube 5, flows into the fueling port 4b, and is supplied by the fueling gun (not shown). It will be collected.
As described above, the breather pipe 51 in the present embodiment functions as an exhaust pipe for evacuating the evaporative gas generated inside the tank main body 3 at the time of fuel injection to the filler tube 4 (the fuel supply port 4b).
Further, when the liquid surface Fs of the fuel Fu stored in the tank body 3 reaches the front end 5a1 at the time of fuel injection, the opening is closed by the fuel Fu, so the fuel Fu flows into the breather tube 5 from the breather joint 5a.

  In addition, one end of the breather pipe 51 opened to the fuel supply port 4b is closed when the fuel supply gun is not inserted into the fuel supply port 4b, and evaporative gas generated inside the tank main body 3 is supplied when fuel is not injected. It is comprised so that it may not leak from the opening 4b.

  A breather pipe 51 of the vehicle fuel tank 1 is provided with a breather valve 50. The breather valve 50 is disposed between the pressure resistant container 2 (tank body 3) and the fuel supply port 4b. A breather pipe 51 is connected to the housing 50 a of the breather valve 50 in the vertical direction (the vertical direction of the vehicle). The breather valve 50 has a float 50b housed inside the housing 50a. The float 50b has a density smaller than that of the fuel Fu stored in the tank body 3, and is configured such that the float 50b floats on the fuel Fu when the fuel Fu is accumulated inside the housing 50a. For example, the float 50b is a hollow sphere filled with air inside. The float 50 b has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the breather pipe 51.

  The structure of the breather valve 50 is not limited. For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 2, the breather pipe 51 is connected to the upper side and the lower side (lower side in the vehicle vertical direction) of the housing 50 a. The breather pipe 51 connected to the housing 50a communicates with the inside of the housing 50a. Further, the tip end portion 51a of the breather pipe 51 connected to the lower side protrudes from the lower side into the inside of the housing 50a. And the through-hole 51b is opened to the side wall of the breather pipe 51 in the inside of the housing 50a.

The float 50b is accommodated in the housing 50a so as to be vertically movable. In addition, a gap is appropriately provided between the float 50b and the housing 50a.
When the float 50b is displaced downward, the float 50b is seated on the end 51a of the breather pipe 51 to close the end 51a of the breather pipe 51, and when displaced upward, the breather pipe 51 is connected to the upper side of the casing 50a. (Shown by a broken line in (b) of FIG. 2).

When fuel Fu flows through the breather pipe 51 from the tank main body 3 (see FIG. 1) to the fuel supply port 4b (see FIG. 1), the fuel Fu passes through the through hole 51b as shown in FIG. Flow out into the interior of the enclosure 50a. Then, the fuel Fu is accumulated in the inside of the casing 50a, and the liquid level Fs rises. The float 50b floating on the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu moves upward with the rise of the liquid level Fs, and finally, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 2B, the float 50b is connected above the housing 50a. Block the breather pipe 51 that is being For this reason, the inflow of the fuel Fu to the breather pipe 51 connected above the housing 50a is prevented.
Thus, the flow of the fuel Fu in the breather pipe 51 is blocked by the breather valve 50.

  The breather valve 50 is provided above the liquid level Fs in a state where the fuel Fu in a specified amount is stored in the tank body 3 (see FIG. 1) (full tank state). It is preferable that at least the through hole 51b opened to the side wall of the breather pipe 51 inside the casing 50a be provided above the full liquid level Fs. Thus, the fuel Fu is prevented from flowing into the breather valve 50 in a state where the amount of the fuel Fu smaller than the specified amount is stored in the tank body 3.

  In addition, the structure of the breather valve 50 is not limited to the structure shown to (a), (b) of FIG. Any structure may be used as long as the flow of the fuel Fu in the breather pipe 51 can be shut off. The breather valve 50 may have any structure as long as it can block the flow of the fuel Fu flowing through the breather pipe 51 from the tank body 3 (see FIG. 1) to the fuel supply port 4b (see FIG. 1).

  It returns to the explanation of FIG. When the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu stored in the tank body 3 reaches the front end 5a1 at the time of fuel injection, the opening is closed by the fuel Fu, so the fuel Fu flows into the breather tube 5 from the breather joint 5a. The fuel Fu flowing into the breather tube 5 flows into the breather pipe 51. The flow of the fuel Fu flowing into the breather pipe 51 is shut off by the breather valve 50.

  When the fuel flows into the breather pipe 51 at the time of fuel injection and the flow of the fuel Fu in the breather pipe 51 is interrupted, the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu in the filler pipe 4 rises. When the fueling gun (not shown) inserted into the fueling port 4b detects the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu, the auto stop function operates. The injection of fuel Fu into the tank body 3 is automatically stopped by the auto-stop function that operates in this manner.

Further, a vent joint 6 a is provided on the top surface 3 a of the tank body 3. A vent tube 6 is connected to the vent joint 6a. The vent tube 6 is connected to the vent pipe 61 inside the pressure resistant container 2. The vent joint 6a has a flange portion 6a1 extending around the periphery. The flange portion 6a1 extends along the top surface 3a of the tank body 3. The flange portion 6a1 is fixed to the top surface 3a of the tank body 3 by welding or the like, whereby the vent joint 6a is attached to the tank body 3.
The vent pipe 61 is connected to the canister 7. The activated carbon 7 a is accommodated in the canister 7, and the fuel Fu contained in the evaporated gas flowing through the vent pipe 61 is adsorbed to the activated carbon 7 a. Further, the fuel Fu adsorbed on the activated carbon 7a is separated from the activated carbon 7a by the outside air sucked when the engine 8 is driven, supplied to the engine 8 and burned.

  The vent joint 6a brings the inside of the tank body 3 into communication with the vent tube 6 when the liquid surface Fs of the fuel Fu stored in the tank body 3 becomes lower than a predetermined height with respect to the top surface 3a of the tank body 3 . Thus, the evaporative gas generated inside the tank body 3 flows to the vent pipe 61 via the vent tube 6. On the other hand, when the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu in the tank body 3 is equal to or more than a predetermined height with respect to the top surface 3a, the vent joint 6a closes the vent tube 6.

  The structure of the vent joint 6a is not limited. One structural example of the vent joint 6a is shown in FIG. As an example is shown in FIG. 3, the vent joint 6 a is configured by housing a float 60 b in a housing 60 a attached to the top surface 3 a of the tank main body 3. The housing 60a is suspended from the top surface 3a toward the inside of the tank main body 3, and an opening 60c for allowing the fuel Fu to flow into a part (for example, a side surface) is formed.

The float 60b is configured to float on the fuel Fu flowing into the inside of the housing 60a, and ascends and descends with the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu inside the housing 60a.
The float 60 b is configured to close the exhaust port 60 d formed above the housing 60 a when the float 60 b is lifted. The vent tube 6 is connected in communication with the exhaust port 60 d, and is configured such that the raised tube 60 b is closed by the raised float 60 b. When the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu in the inside of the housing 60a is lowered, the float 60b is lowered together with the liquid level Fs and separated from the exhaust port 60d, and the inside of the tank main body 3 and the vent tube 6 are communicated.

A flange portion 6a1 extending around the periphery is formed above the casing 60a. The housing 60a is inserted from above into the opening 3a1 formed in the top surface 3a of the tank main body 3 and disposed inside the tank main body 3, and the flange 6a1 extends around the opening 3a1 of the top surface 3a to It comes in surface contact with the surface 3 a and is welded to the tank body 3 at this portion.
The tank body 3 and the flange portion 6a1 are airtightly welded so that the fuel Fu and the evaporative gas do not leak from between the top surface 3a and the flange portion 6a1. For example, the flange portion 6a1 is welded to the tank body 3 (the top surface 3a) continuously along the periphery of the casing 60a.

It returns to the explanation of FIG. The vent pipe 61 is provided with a roll over valve 70. The rollover valve 70 is disposed between the pressure resistant container 2 (tank body 3) and the canister 7. The rollover valve 70 has a valve body 70b housed inside the housing 70a. A vent pipe 61 is connected to a lower side (lower side in the vehicle vertical direction) and an upper side of the casing 70a. The valve body 70b ascends and descends according to the displacement of the liquid level Fs when the fuel Fu flows into the inside of the casing 70a. The valve body 70b is configured to close the vent pipe 61 connected to the upper side of the housing 70a when the valve body 70b rises by a predetermined amount.
When the inside of the tank body 3 is pressurized and the fuel Fu flows into the vent pipe 61, the roll over valve 70 closes the vent pipe 61, and the flow of the fuel Fu in the vent pipe 61 is blocked.
The rollover valve 70 is generally used, and is configured to close the vent pipe 61 to prevent the outflow of the fuel Fu even when the vehicle fuel tank 1 is inclined or the like. .

The tank body 3 of the present embodiment is a flexible container and is easily deformed. Therefore, when the storage amount of the fuel Fu in the vehicle fuel tank 1 decreases, the tank body 3 contracts. When the tank body 3 contracts, the top surface 3a is also deformed, and the breather joint 5a and the vent joint 6a attached to the top surface 3a change.
Therefore, the breather tube 5 is a flexible pipe (tube), and can be deformed in response to the fluctuation of the breather joint 5a caused by the deformation of the top surface 3a. Similarly, the vent tube 6 is a flexible tube (tube), and can be deformed in response to the variation of the vent joint 6a due to the deformation of the top surface 3a.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the top surface of the tank body in a state where a prescribed amount of fuel is stored.
4 shows the inside of the pressure resistant container 2 from which the upper surface 2a (see FIG. 1) of the pressure resistant container 2 has been removed.
As shown in FIG. 4, the tank main body 3 of the present embodiment is configured such that the top surface 3 a is rectangular in a state (full state) in which a prescribed amount of fuel Fu is stored.
Further, the pressure resistant container 2 accommodating the tank body 3 has a rectangular planar shape so as to maintain the tank body 3 storing the prescribed amount of fuel Fu in a rectangular shape in plan view.

One breather joint 5a and a plurality of (four in the example shown in FIG. 4) vent joints 6a are attached to the top surface 3a.
The breather joint 5a is disposed at the center Pt of the top surface 3a having a rectangular shape. In the present embodiment, the breather joint 5a has a circular shape in plan view, and the breather joint 5a is attached such that the center Pt of the top surface 3a is inside the circular shape.
The center Pt is the physical center (centroid position) of the top surface 3a, and when the top surface 3a is rectangular, the intersection of the two diagonal lines L1 and L1 is the center Pt.

Also, four vent joints 6a are disposed around the breather joint 5a. For example, four vent joints 6a are disposed on the diagonal L1 of the top surface 3a on the circumference of the imaginary circle C1 centered on the breather joint 5a.
Thus, the vent joint 6a is disposed in a direction from the center Pt of the top surface 3a of the tank main body 3 having a rectangular shape to the corner 3b (corner of the pressure resistant container 2) of the tank main body 3. Also, four vent joints 6a are arranged to surround the center Pt (breather joint 5a). Thus, four vent joints 6a are arranged around the center Pt.

  The vent joint 6a of the present embodiment is disposed close to the corner 3b of the top surface 3a (the corner of the pressure resistant container 2). For example, the distance (Da) from the corner 3b of the top surface 3a to the vent joint 6a is shorter than the distance (Db) from the center Pt to the vent joint 6a (Da <Db). By disposing the vent joint 6a in this manner, the vent joint 6a is disposed close to the corner 3b of the top surface 3a.

Further, as described above, the vent joint 6 a has the flange portion 6 a 1 which extends along the top surface 3 a of the tank body 3. The flange portion 6a1 is attached to the top surface 3a of the tank body 3 by welding or the like, whereby the vent joint 6a is attached to the tank body 3. The flange portion 6a1 has a shape extending toward the corner 3b of the top surface 3a having a rectangular shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the flange portion 6 a 1 has an oval (or oval) shape extending toward the corner 3 b of the top surface 3 a (corner of the pressure resistant container 2).
By welding the flange portion 6a1 having such a shape to the top surface 3a, the top surface 3a of the tank body 3 is reinforced by the flange portion 6a1 between the vent joint 6a and the corner portion 3b.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the shape change of the tank main body, in which (a) shows the empty state of the tank main body, and (b) shows expansion of the tank main body at the time of fuel injection (C) shows the center of the top surface of the tank body rising to the upper limit at the time of fuel injection, (d) shows the state in which the specified amount of fuel is stored in the tank body It is.
As shown in FIG. 5 (a), when the fuel tank 3 is empty with no fuel Fu contained therein, the tank body 3 contracts, and the top surface 3a is depressed to be crushed in the vertical direction.

When a fueling gun (not shown) is inserted into the fueling port 4b (see FIG. 1) of the filler tube 4 to start the injection of the fuel Fu and the fuel Fu flows into the tank body 3, the tank as shown in FIG. In the main body 3, the depressed top surface 3a rises and expands. At this time, in the top surface 3a, the center Pt rises prior to other portions.
In the top surface 3 a of the tank body 3, the center Pt that is most distant from the side surface (the surface formed around the top surface 3 a) is most easily bent. Therefore, when the inside of the tank body 3 is pressurized at the time of fuel injection, the center Pt which is most likely to flex is raised to the top, and the tank body 3 expands in this state. Therefore, at the time of fuel injection, the air flowing into the tank main body 3 through the filler pipe 4 together with the evaporative gas and fuel Fu generated inside the tank main body 3 gathers at the position of the center Pt and is accumulated at the position of the center Pt. Is formed. Then, the injection of the fuel Fu proceeds in the state where the gas reservoir Gi is formed at the position of the center Pt.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a breather joint 5 a is attached to the center Pt on the top surface 3 a of the tank body 3 of the present embodiment. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, at the time of fuel injection, a gas pool Gi is formed at the position of the breather joint 5a, and the tip 5a1 of the breather joint 5a is separated from the liquid surface Fs of the fuel Fu. Thereby, the breather joint 5a is maintained in the open state.

  As shown in (c) of FIG. 5, when the tank body 3 expands and the center Pt of the top surface 3a rises to the upper limit, thereafter, the periphery of the center Pt on the top surface 3a rises. At this time, since the evaporative gas accumulated in the gas reservoir Gi formed at the center Pt is exhausted through the breather tube 5, the gas reservoir Gi is reduced and the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu at the center Pt is increased.

  Then, when the prescribed amount of fuel Fu is stored in the tank body 3 (when the tank body 3 is full), as shown in (d) of FIG. The distal end 5a1 of the joint 5a is reached. Then, the fuel Fu flows into the breather tube 5 and the breather pipe 51 from the breather joint 5a. The flow of the fuel Fu in the breather pipe 51 is shut off by the breather valve 50 (see FIG. 1), and the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu in the filler pipe 4 rises. As a result, the autostop function of the fueling gun (not shown) is activated to automatically stop the injection of the fuel Fu.

  If the breather joint 5a is disposed at the center Pt of the top surface 3a of the tank body 3 as shown in FIG. 4, as shown in (b) and (c) of FIG. A gas reservoir Gi is formed at the position of the tip 5a1 of 5a. Therefore, as shown in (d) of FIG. 5, the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu does not reach the front end 5a1 of the breather joint 5a until the specified amount of fuel Fu is stored in the tank body 3. In other words, when the specified amount of fuel Fu is stored in the tank body 3, the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu reaches the front end 5a1 of the breather joint 5a, whereby the auto stop function of the fuel gun (not shown) operates properly. Do.

If the breather joint 5a is disposed at a position where the gas reservoir Gi is not formed at the time of fuel injection (for example, the peripheral portion of the top surface 3a), the fuel Fu is not stored in the tank body 3 The liquid level Fs may reach the tip 5a1 of the breather joint 5a. In this case, the autostop function of the fueling gun (not shown) operates before the specified amount of fuel Fu is stored in the tank body 3, and the autostop function does not operate properly.
In the vehicle fuel tank 1 (see FIG. 1) according to the present embodiment, by disposing the breather joint 5a at the center Pt on the top surface 3a of the tank main body 3, appropriate evaporation gas accumulated in the gas reservoir Gi at the time of fuel injection The proper operation of the exhaust and the autostop function of the refueling gun (not shown) is realized.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the shape change of the tank body at the time of fuel consumption.
When the fuel Fu stored in the tank body 3 is consumed by the pump unit 8a, such as when the engine 8 is driven, the tank body 3 is deformed according to the storage amount of the fuel Fu as shown in FIG. Contraction). Then, when the height of the liquid surface Fs with respect to the top surface 3a becomes lower than a predetermined height, the vent joint 6a is opened, and the evaporation gas generated inside the tank main body 3 is exhausted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the top surface 3a of the tank body 3 descends prior to the vicinity of the corner 3b (see FIG. 4) at the time of fuel consumption, and the center Pt of the top surface 3a of the tank body 3 is the lowest. It shrinks in a drooping shape. Therefore, when fuel is consumed, a space is easily generated between the top surface 3a and the liquid surface Fs in the vicinity of the corner 3b than the periphery of the center Pt, and the evaporative gas is easily accumulated in this space.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the flange portion 6 a 1 of the vent joint 6 a disposed close to the corner portion 3 b has a shape (elliptical or oval) extending toward the corner portion 3 b, and the top surface 3 a is The vicinity of the corner 3b is reinforced by the flange 6a1. As a result, the top surface 3a is less likely to be deformed near the corner 3b. In other words, the top surface 3a of the tank body 3 is more likely to be deformed around the center Pt than in the vicinity of the corner 3b. For this reason, at the time of fuel consumption, the tank main body 3 is easily shrunk in a shape in which the center Pt of the top surface 3a is greatly hung down, and a large space is easily generated in the vicinity of the corner 3b. Then, the evaporative gas can be collected in a large space generated in the vicinity of the corner 3b.
Therefore, the vent joint 6a is disposed near the corner portion 3b from the center Pt (breather joint 5a) and has the flange portion 6a1 having a shape extending toward the corner portion 3b, which occurs inside the tank main body 3 Effective exhaust of evaporative gas is possible.

The vehicle fuel tank 1 according to the present embodiment realizes effective exhaust of evaporated gas by arranging the vent joint 6a around the breather joint 5a (center Pt) on the top surface 3a of the tank body 3. ing. Further, in the present embodiment, the vent joint 6a is disposed close to the corner 3b (corner of the pressure resistant container 2) of the top surface 3a of the tank main body 3. Therefore, it occurs particularly in the tank main body 3 when fuel is consumed. Effective exhaust of evaporative gas is possible.
FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing a state in which the tank main body 3 contracts, and the present invention is not limited to the tank main body 3 in which the side surface regularly changes in a bellows shape and contracts.

As mentioned above, the fuel tank 1 for vehicles of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has the tank main body 3 accommodated in the pressure-resistant container 2. The tank body 3 is a flexible container having a flexibility, and is deformed according to the storage amount of the fuel Fu. Therefore, when the storage amount of fuel Fu decreases, the tank body 3 contracts. The top surface 3a of the tank body 3 is provided with a breather joint 5a and a vent joint 6a.
As shown in FIG. 4, the top surface 3a has a rectangular shape, and the breather joint 5a is disposed at the center Pt (the center Pt of the rectangle) of the top surface 3a. Also, the tank body 3 is provided with four vent joints 6a. The four vent joints 6a are disposed, for example, on the diagonal L1 of the top surface 3a on the circumference of a virtual circle C1 centered on the center Pt (breather joint 5a) of the top surface 3a. That is, the four vent joints 6a are arranged around the center Pt (breather joint 5a) so that the distances from the center Pt are equal. The four vent joints 6a are disposed close to the corner 3b of the top surface 3a (the corner of the pressure resistant container 2).

  The breather joint 5a is provided at the center Pt of the top surface 3a, so that when fuel Fu is stored in the tank body 3 at the time of fuel injection (when the tank body 3 is full), the fuel gun (not shown) The autostop function is configured to operate. That is, by providing the breather joint 5a at the center Pt of the top surface 3a, it is possible to appropriately operate the auto-stop function of the fueling gun at the time of fuel injection.

  Also, by providing the vent joint 6a on the diagonal L1 of the top surface 3a on the circumference of the imaginary circle C1 centered on the breather joint 5a, the evaporative gas generated at the time of fuel consumption is quickly exhausted. Be done. In particular, by arranging the vent joint 6a close to the corner 3b (corner of the pressure container 2) of the top surface 3a of the tank body 3, the evaporative gas generated inside the tank body 3 at the time of fuel consumption is effective. Exhausted. That is, the vent joint 6a is disposed so as to surround the center Pt (breather joint 5a), and is provided on the diagonal L1 of the top surface 3a and at a position closer to the corner 3b, the liquid level Fs of the fuel Fu Since the vent joint 6a is disposed at a position where it rapidly descends, it is possible to effectively exhaust the evaporated gas.

The present invention can be appropriately changed in design without departing from the scope of the invention.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the vent joints 6 a of the present embodiment are arranged diagonally on the top surface 3 a on the circumference of a virtual circle C 1 centered on the center Pt of the top surface 3 a. Instead of such an arrangement, four vent joints 6a may be arranged at intervals of 90 degrees on the circumference of the imaginary circle C1.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the tank main body 3 provided in the vehicle fuel tank 1 of the present embodiment is configured so that the top surface 3 a is rectangular in a state where the fuel Fu of a prescribed amount is stored. The shape of the top surface 3a is not limited to a rectangle. Even if the shape of the top surface 3a is other than rectangular, the breather joint 5a may be disposed at the center Pt (physical center) of the top surface 3a. Specifically, the position of the center of gravity on the top surface 3a may be set as the center Pt. Then, the vent joint 6a may be provided on the circumference of the imaginary circle C1 centered on the breather joint 5a (center Pt).

  Also, the number of vent joints 6a is not limited to four. The vehicle fuel tank 1 may have three or less, or five or more vent joints 6 a provided on the top surface 3 a of the tank body 3. Also in this case, it is preferable to provide the vent joint 6a around the breather joint 5a (center Pt). For example, it is preferable to provide the vent joint 6a on the circumference centering on the breather joint 5a (center Pt). Thus, the vent joints 6a are arranged such that the distances from the center Pt become equal, and the evaporation gas is exhausted uniformly around the center Pt.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the flange portion 6a1 (see FIG. 4) of the vent joint 6a is welded to the top surface 3a (see FIG. 4) of the tank body 3. However, the method of fixing the flange portion 6a1 to the top surface 3a is also not limited to welding. For example, the top surface 3a may be sandwiched from the outside and the inside by the flange portion 6a1 and fixed.

1 Fuel tank for vehicles 2 Pressure-resistant container 3 Tank body (flexible container)
3a top surface 3b corner portion 5 breather tube 5a breather joint 6 vent tube 6a vent joint 6a1 flange portion C1 virtual circle Pt center

Claims (5)

A flexible container which is accommodated in a pressure resistant container and stores fuel inside;
And a breather tube for exhausting the gas inside the flexible container at the time of fuel injection.
A breather joint to which the breather tube is connected is provided on the top surface of the flexible container,
The breather joint is disposed at the center of the top surface ,
The flexible container further comprises a vent tube for evacuating the vaporized gas generated by vaporization of the fuel inside the flexible container.
A fuel tank for a vehicle, comprising a vent joint to which the vent tube is connected on the top surface of the flexible container. A flexible container which is accommodated in a pressure resistant container and stores fuel inside;
And a breather tube for exhausting the gas inside the flexible container at the time of fuel injection.
A breather joint to which the breather tube is connected is provided on the top surface of the flexible container,
The breather joint is disposed at the center of the top surface,
The flexible container further comprises a vent tube for evacuating the vaporized gas generated by vaporization of the fuel inside the flexible container.
The top surface of the flexible container is provided with a vent joint to which the vent tube is connected;
A fuel tank for a vehicle, comprising a plurality of the vent joints so as to surround the breather joint on the top surface. The top surface is rectangular,
Fuel tank for vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said vent joint is disposed in a direction towards the corners of the top surface from the center of the top surface.   The fuel tank for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the vent joint is attached near the corner. In the vent joint, a flange portion extending along the top surface of the flexible container is welded to the top surface and attached to the flexible container.
5. The vehicle fuel tank according to claim 3, wherein the flange portion extends toward the corner portion.

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