JP7065616B2 - Tank band - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tank band.

Conventionally, as a structure for attaching a fuel tank to a vehicle body, there is a structure for attaching a fuel tank by fixing both ends of a tank band (band member) arranged along the lower surface of the fuel tank to the vehicle body (for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, bolts passed through holes formed at both ends of the tank band are fastened to nuts attached to the vehicle body to be fixed.

International Publication No. 2016/0799115

In the process of assembling an automobile, after the fuel tank and the tank band are aligned with respect to the vehicle body, the bolt is passed through the hole of the tank band and the bolt is fastened. In such a process, it has been required to improve the efficiency of the process.

The present application has been proposed in view of the above problems, and an object of the present application is to provide a tank band capable of streamlining the process of attaching a fuel tank to a vehicle body by using a tank band.

The present specification is a tank band for fixing a fuel tank to a floor panel of an automobile, which is provided at both ends and has at least a pair of holding portions having through holes, a bolt, and a pair of holding portions. Disclosed is a tank band characterized in that one of them is provided with a temporary holding portion for temporarily holding a bolt inserted through a through hole.

Since the bolt is temporarily held in the tank band in advance and the step of passing the bolt through the through hole in the assembly process of the automobile can be omitted, it is possible to provide a tank band capable of streamlining the assembly process. ..

It is sectional drawing of the state which the fuel tank is attached to the floor panel by the tank band. It is an enlarged sectional view of the fastening part where the holding part is fastened to the floor panel together with the fuel tank. It is an enlarged sectional view of the fastening part in which the holding part is independently fastened to the floor panel. It is a plan view and a sectional view of a washer. It is a figure explaining the method of attaching a bolt to a tank band. It is a figure explaining the positional relationship between a bolt and a washer when a bolt is tilted with respect to a washer when a washer has 6 teeth, (A) is a figure which is tilted toward a tooth, and (B) is a tooth and a tooth. It shows the case of tilting toward the teeth. (A) (B) It is a figure explaining the positional relationship between a bolt and a washer when the bolt is tilted with respect to a washer when the tooth is a washer of five, and (A) is a figure when it is tilted toward a tooth. (B) shows the case of tilting toward the tooth-to-tooth.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tank band 20 according to the embodiment is a component for attaching the fuel tank 10 to the floor panel 1 of the vehicle body. In the following description, the directions will be described using the directions shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.
The fuel tank 10 has a tank body 11 for storing fuel. Further, the fuel tank 10 has a flange 12 extending outward from the tank body 11 in front of the tank body 11. A bolt hole 13 through which a bolt 23 is inserted is formed in the flange 12.
The tank band 20 is made of metal and includes a band main body portion 21, holding portions 22, 22, bolts 23, washers 30 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and the like. The band main body 21 has a shape extending along the outer surface 14 on the side of the fuel tank 10 that does not face the floor panel 1 of the tank main body 11. The holding portions 22 and 22 are provided at both ends of the band main body portion 21. Each of the holding portions 22 and 22 has a bolt hole 25 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

The fuel tank 10 is supported from below by the tank band 20, and is attached to the floor panel 1 by fixing the front and rear of the tank band 20 to the floor panel 1. Specifically, the bolts 23 and 2 inserted into the bolt holes 25 and 25 formed in the holding portions 22 and 22 of the tank band 20 are fastened to the nuts 3 and 3 of the floor panel 1, respectively, so that the tank band 20 is fixed to the floor panel 1. Here, the holding portion 22 behind the tank band 20 is fixed to the floor panel 1 independently, while the holding portion 22 in front of the tank band 20 is fixed to the floor panel 1 together with the fuel tank 10.

Next, the process of attaching the tank band 20 to the floor panel 1 in front of the tank band 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. A cylindrical collar 15 is fitted in the bolt hole 13 of the flange 12. A bolt 23 is inserted in advance into the bolt hole 25 of the holding portion 22 in front of the tank band 20, and the bolt 23 is temporarily held by the washer 30 in the tank band 20. In the process of attaching to the floor panel 1, after the fuel tank 10 and the tank band 20 are aligned with respect to the floor panel 1, the bolt 23 inserted into the collar 15 is fastened to the nut 3 of the floor panel 1. It is attached.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, unlike the front holding portion 22, the bolt 2 is not inserted in the holding portion 22 behind the tank band 20 in advance. In the process of attaching to the floor panel 1, after the fuel tank 10 and the tank band 20 are aligned with respect to the floor panel 1, the bolt 2 is inserted into the bolt hole 25 and fastened to the nut 3 of the floor panel 1. It is attached. In this way, since the bolt hole 25 is temporarily held in the front holding portion 22 in advance, the bolt by the worker in the mounting process to the floor panel 1 is manually set in the tool and inserted into the bolt hole. The process to be performed can be omitted, and the efficiency can be improved. The bolt 23 used for the front holding portion 22 is longer than the bolt 2 used for the rear holding portion 22 by the thickness of the collar 15. That is, when the tank band 20 is attached to the floor panel 1, two types of bolts 23 and 2 having different lengths are used. In the present embodiment, of the two types of bolts 23 and 2, the longer bolt 23 is temporarily held by the tank band 20 in advance. Therefore, for example, when the long bolt 23 is attached to the floor panel 1, the long bolt 23 is held in the rear holding portion 22. It is possible to prevent erroneous installation of bolts such as being used in. If the long bolt 23 is mistakenly used in the rear holding portion 22, the bolt 23 may hit the floor panel 1 and the tightening may be poor.

Next, the washer 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The washer 30 is made of metal, and galvanic corrosion can be prevented by using a material that takes into consideration the potential difference due to contact with dissimilar metals from the tank band 20. Further, the washer 30 is a substantially flat annular shape and has five teeth 32 protruding toward the inner diameter side of the opening. In FIG. 4, only the two teeth 32 are represented by reference numerals. The five teeth 32 are formed at the same pitch in the circumferential direction. The five teeth 32 have a height sufficient to be caught by the thread of the bolt 23 when the bolt 23 is inserted. The height here is the distance from the base to the tip of the tooth 32. Further, the washer 30 has two recesses 33 recessed on the outer diameter side. The two recesses 33 are formed in the radial direction on the same straight line passing through the center of the washer 30. As shown in the left figure of FIG. 5, the bolt 23 is inserted in the order of the bolt hole 25 of the holding portion 22 and the washer 30, and the bolt 23 is temporarily held by the tank band 20.
As shown in the right figure of FIG. 5, the holding portion 22 is sandwiched between the washer 30 into which the bolt 23 is inserted and the head portion 23a of the bolt 23, and at least a part of the five teeth 32 is caught by the thread of the bolt 23. As a result, the bolt 23 is temporarily held. The tank band 20 is transported to the assembly line where the fuel tank 10 is attached to the floor panel 1 in the state shown in the right figure of FIG.

The step of attaching the washer 30 to the tank band 20 is performed as follows. First, the washer 30 is placed on a jig that is fitted with the washer 30. Next, the tank band 20 is placed on the washer 30 with the lower side facing up when it is attached to the floor panel 1. Next, the bolt 23 is inserted in the order of the bolt hole 25 and the washer 30 from above with the head 23a facing up, and the bolt 23 is attached by being turned by, for example, an impact wrench. In this way, since the bolt 23 is rotated and attached to the fixed washer 30, the deformation of the five teeth 32 is suppressed, and the holding force of the bolt 23 with respect to the tank band 20 can be maintained. For example, a method of press-fitting the fixed washer 30 without turning the bolt 23 is also conceivable. However, in the case of this method, the tooth 32 is warped in the moving direction of the bolt 23, the catch between the tooth 32 and the thread of the bolt 23 is weakened, and the holding force of the bolt 23 with respect to the tank band 20 is lowered. It ends up. If the holding force of the bolt 23 with respect to the tank band 20 is reduced, the washer 30 is likely to fall off from the tank band 20 when the tank band 20 is conveyed. In this respect, according to this mounting method, the holding force for the tank band 20 can be maintained. The washer 30 can be prevented from falling off from the tank band 20 when the tank band 20 is conveyed. The jig to be fitted with the washer 30 is formed with a convex portion to be fitted with the concave portion 33 of the washer 30. As a result, the co-rotation of the washer 30 when the bolt 23 is turned is suppressed, and the bolt 23 and the washer 30 can be efficiently attached to the tank band 20.

Further, when the tank band 20 is conveyed, the axis of the bolt 23 may be tilted with respect to the flat surface of the washer 30 due to vibration or the like. When the axis of the bolt 23 is tilted with respect to the flat surface of the washer 30, the catch between the tooth 32 of the washer 30 and the thread of the bolt 23 is likely to be loosened. Here, as a result of the study, the inventors have found that if the number of teeth 32 is an odd number of 5 or more, it is difficult for the bolt 23 to fall off even if the axis of the bolt 23 is tilted with respect to the plane of the washer 30 during transportation. .. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

6 (A) and 6 (B) schematically show a washer having 6 teeth together with a bolt, and FIGS. 7 (A) and 7 (B) show a washer having 5 teeth schematically together with a bolt. be. The washer teeth shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are evenly formed in the circumferential direction. Here, as a result of the examination, the inventors have found that the number of teeth of the washer is 5 is more difficult to fall off than that of 6. The possible reasons are explained below.

6 (A) and 7 (A) show the case where the bolt is tilted toward one tooth of the washer, and FIGS. 6 (B) and 7 (B) show two adjacent bolts of the washer. It shows the case of tilting toward the teeth. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the direction in which the bolt is tilted is indicated by an arrow. Further, the position of the bolt where the axis of the bolt and the center of the washer coincide with each other is shown by a solid line, and the position of the bolt when the bolt is tilted is shown by a two-dot chain line. 6 (A) and 7 (A) (B) show an example in which it is difficult to fall off, and FIG. 6 (B) shows an example in which it is easy to fall off. Of these, FIGS. 6 (A) and 7 (A) show the line connecting the point where the bolt and the washer are closest to each other (hereinafter referred to as the closest point) and the center of the washer in the radial direction. The case where there are three washer teeth in the range of less than ± 90 ° in the circumferential direction is shown. Here, in the radial direction, the line connecting the closest point and the center of the washer is a line indicated by an arrow in FIGS. 6 and 7. Further, here, the clockwise direction is positive and the counterclockwise direction is negative, and the range of less than ± 90 ° in the circumferential direction is the range indicated by the broken line arrow in FIG. In the case of FIGS. 6 (A) and 7 (A), since the thread of the bolt is mainly caught on the three teeth of the washer, it is considered that the bolt is unlikely to fall off even if it is tilted.

Subsequently, in FIGS. 6 (B) and 7 (B), two washer teeth are provided in a range of less than ± 90 ° in the circumferential direction with respect to the line connecting the closest point and the center of the washer in the radial direction. It shows a case. In this case, if there are washer teeth in the vicinity of the point opposite the closest point (point A in FIGS. 6 and 7) across the center of the washer in the radial direction, it is considered that the washer's teeth are unlikely to fall off. In the case of FIG. 6B, the two teeth of the washer are mainly caught by the thread of the bolt, but since there is no tooth in the vicinity of the point A, the bolt is likely to come off with respect to the washer, whereas in FIG. 7. In the case of (B), it is considered that the bolt is difficult to come off due to the tooth near the point A.
As described above, when the washer teeth have an odd number of 5 or more, the bolts are suppressed from falling off even during transportation. Incidentally, if the number of washer teeth is increased, the resistance when inserting the bolt into the washer also increases, so that the washer teeth are preferably about five.

Here, the floor panel 1 is an example of a floor panel, the fuel tank 10 is an example of a fuel tank, and the tank band 20 is an example of a tank band. The holding portions 22 and 22 are examples of a pair of holding portions, the bolt hole 25 is an example of a through hole, the bolt 23 is an example of a bolt, and the washer 30 is an example of a temporary holding portion.

According to the embodiments described above, the following effects are obtained.
Since the bolt 23 is temporarily held in the tank band 20 in advance, the step of passing the bolt 23 through the bolt hole 25 in the assembly process of the automobile can be omitted, and the efficiency of the assembly process can be improved. Further, when the lengths of the bolts 23 and 2 used in the holding portions 22 and 22 are different from each other, it is necessary to use both bolts properly in the assembling process. By temporarily holding the bolt 23, only one type of bolt is used in the assembling process, so that the assembling process can be made more efficient. Further, the bolt 23 can be temporarily held by the washer 30 having five teeth 32. Since the number of teeth 32 of the washer 30 is five and evenly provided in the circumferential direction, even when the axis of the bolt 23 is tilted with respect to the plane of the washer 30, the tank band 20 of the bolt 23 can be used. Can be suppressed from falling off. Further, the concave portion 33 of the washer 30 allows the concave portion 33 of the washer 30 to be fitted to the convex portion of the jig, and when the bolt 23 is rotated and attached to the washer 30, the co-rotation of the washer 30 is suppressed. Can be installed efficiently.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above description, the washer 30 has been described as an example of the temporary holding portion, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the bolt hole 25 may be configured to have a plurality of teeth on the inner peripheral surface as a temporary holding portion.

Further, in the above description, the configuration in which the bolt 23 is temporarily held by the front holding portion 22 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the bolt 2 is also temporarily held by the washer 30 in the rear holding portion 22 as well. It may be configured.

Further, in the above, it has been explained that the lengths of the bolt 23 and the bolt 2 are different. Not limited to this, even if the specifications other than the length are different from each other, for example, the diameters of the bolts are different, by temporarily holding one of them in the tank band 20, it is possible to prevent the bolts from being erroneously attached. be able to.

Further, although it has been described above that the washer 30 has five teeth 32, the number of teeth 32 is not limited to this, and may be seven, for example.

Further, in the above description, the configuration in which the concave portion 33 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the washer 30 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the outer peripheral surface of the washer may be provided with a convex portion. In this case, if the jig for fixing the washer is provided with a concave portion to be fitted with the convex portion, the effect of suppressing co-rotation when turning the bolt can be similarly obtained. Further, a hole or the like may be used as a configuration for suppressing co-rotation.

Further, it has been described above that the longer bolt 23 of the bolts 23 and 2 attached to the tank band 20 when the fuel tank 10 is attached to the floor panel 1 is attached to the tank band 20 in advance. Not limited to this, the shorter bolt 2 may be attached to the tank band 20 in advance.

1 Floor panel 10 Fuel tank 20 Tank band 22 Holding part 23 Bolt 25 Bolt hole 30 Washer 32 Teeth

Claims (3)

A tank band for fixing a fuel tank to the floor panel of an automobile.
A pair of holding parts with through holes provided at both ends,
With bolts
At least one of the pair of holding portions is provided with a temporary holding portion for temporarily holding the bolt while being inserted through the through hole.
The temporary holding portion is a washer having a plurality of teeth protruding toward the inner diameter side of the opening.
The holding portion is sandwiched between the washer into which the bolt is inserted and the head of the bolt, and at least a part of the plurality of teeth is caught on the thread of the bolt to temporarily hold the bolt.
Two recesses recessed in the radial direction of the washer are formed on the outer periphery of the washer, and the two recesses are located on the same straight line extending in the radial direction of the washer through the center of the washer. And
One of the plurality of teeth in the washer is located on the same straight line in the washer.
Among the plurality of teeth, the plurality of teeth located on the opposite side of the center of the washer from the teeth located on the same straight line are not located on the same straight line. Tank band. The tank band according to claim 1 , wherein the number of the plurality of teeth is an odd number of five or more, and the teeth are evenly provided in the circumferential direction of the opening. The tank band according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of teeth has five teeth and is evenly provided in the circumferential direction of the opening.

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