JP7737201B2 - Internal structure of the filler pipe mouth - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the internal structure of the mouth of a filler pipe into which the nozzle of a gas station fuel gun is inserted when filling a vehicle's fuel tank through the filler neck.

Vehicles such as automobiles generally have a fuel filler port on the side of the vehicle body for filling with fuel. A filler pipe (also called a fuel supply pipe or filler tube) is connected between the filler port and the fuel tank, and directs fuel supplied from a fuel gun into the fuel tank. The filler pipe is formed into a three-dimensional curved shape in relation to the positions of the filler port and fuel tank, the position of the seats, storage space, etc.

A guide member (also known as a guide pipe, nozzle guide, nozzle bracket, or retainer) may be attached to the inside of the fuel inlet side of this filler pipe to regulate the depth of insertion of the fuel gun nozzle or to regulate the nozzle's vibration within the filler pipe (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 5).

As shown in Figure 7, the guide member 300 of Patent Document 1 has a guide pipe 300 (guide pipe) whose lower end extends to the vicinity of the bent portion 101 of the filler pipe 100 (filler tube) and is provided with a recess 102 recessed radially inward to increase the cross-sectional area of the evaporated fuel passage. A protrusion 103 is formed at the lower end of the recess 102, protruding radially inward and extending parallel to the axis of the guide member 300. This protrusion 103 forms a stopper that restricts the insertion of the tip of the nozzle 301 of the fuel gun, and a groove facing the internal space of the bent portion 101 is formed on the outer surface of the recess 102 corresponding to the protrusion 103.

As a result, evaporated fuel pushed out from the upper space of the tank body through the breather tube 104 into the evaporated fuel passage is sucked back into the tank body by the negative pressure of the fuel flowing out at high speed from the guide member 300, preventing it from dissipating into the atmosphere. At this time, the recess 102 formed in the guide member 300 increases the cross-sectional area of the evaporated fuel passage between the inner surface of the filler pipe 100 and the outer surface of the guide member 300, allowing the evaporated fuel pushed out from the breather tube 104 to be smoothly returned to the tank body, further reliably preventing the evaporated fuel from dissipating into the atmosphere.

As shown in Figure 8, the guide member 300 (retainer) in Patent Document 2 is attached to the inlet of the filler pipe 100, holding the nozzle 301 of the fuel gun 200. The guide member 300 has a retainer attachment portion 202 and a retainer main body portion 201. The tip of the retainer main body portion 201 is formed to be longer than the tip of the fuel gun 200 when the fuel gun 200 is inserted into the guide member 300, and multiple ribs 203, 204, and 205 are formed on the outer surface of the retainer main body portion 201, which abut against the inner surface of the filler pipe 100.

As a result, the guide member 300 (retainer) guides the nozzle 301 of the fuel gun 200 and holds it in a predetermined position, and multiple ribs 203, 204, and 205 formed on the lower part of the outer surface of the retainer main body 201 create a gap between the tip of the retainer main body 201 and the inner surface of the filler pipe 100. This allows fuel flowing back inside the filler pipe 100 to be diverted to the inside and outside of the guide member 300 when the tank is full and the auto-stop sensor is activated, reducing the amount of fuel flowing along the inside of the guide member 300 and preventing it from spraying out along the inside of the guide member 300.

As shown in FIG. 9, the guide member 300 of Patent Document 3 is attached to the filler neck body 305 of the filler pipe 100 (comprised of a metal retainer 304, a filler neck body 305, and a filler tube 306) on the fuel tank side. It has a tip portion 302 that contacts the filler pipe 100 and a deformation assisting portion 303 for deforming the tip portion 302. The guide member 300 has a cylindrical shape extending around an axis (OL1), and the deformation assisting portion 303 is a slit formed in the tip portion 302 along the axial direction (OL1) of the guide member 300. As a result, no gap is created between the tip portion of the guide member 300 and the inner surface of the filler pipe 100. This reduces the inflow resistance of liquid fuel supplied from the fuel gun 200 to the fuel supply device. Additionally, the guide member 300 has a cylindrical shape extending around its axis, and the deformation assisting portion 303 is a slit formed at the tip along the axial direction of the guide member 300, so the deformation assisting portion 303 does not create resistance to the supply of liquid fuel.

Furthermore, there is also known a technology in which the nozzle support (guide member) that supports the nozzle of the fuel gun is a pipe whose inner diameter is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the nozzle of the fuel gun, and the guide member extends to the extent of the bent portion of the filler pipe (Patent Document 4), and a technology in which the guide member forms a long, plate-shaped ridge portion, a pair of flange portions that extend downward from the left and right ends of the ridge to the sides, and a downwardly curved U-shaped cross-section, which clamps the tip of the nozzle of the fuel gun so as to restrict its insertion direction (Patent Document 5).

JP 2010-195062 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-143043 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-193187 JP 2009-18755 A JP 2014-97693 A

The filler pipe is formed into a three-dimensional curved shape in relation to the position of the filler port and fuel tank, the position of the seats, the luggage storage space (luggage compartment), etc., and may be curved with a wall on the fuel tank side of the tip of the nozzle of the inserted fuel gun. In such cases, as shown in Figure 10, fuel 401 (solid arrow) released from nozzle 301 of fuel gun 200 may hit wall 130 of curved section 120 at the end, causing fuel 401 to bounce back toward nozzle 301 of fuel gun 200 (dashed arrow).

An auto-stop sensor 501 that senses the completion of refueling is attached to the lower part near the tip of the nozzle 301 of the fuel gun 200. If the fuel 401 released from the nozzle 301 of the fuel gun 200 hits the wall 130 beyond it, rebounds back toward the nozzle 301 of the fuel gun 200, and hits the auto-stop sensor 501, refueling may stop midway through.

The guide members described in the above patent documents are straight pipes with a cylindrical or U-shape, and when the nozzle of the fuel gun is inserted into the guide member, the orientation of the nozzle and the guide member in the direction of nozzle insertion is roughly aligned. Therefore, even if these guide members are installed on the curved filler pipes with the above-mentioned walls, it is not possible to prevent the problem of fuel supply stopping mid-fill due to splashing.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention of claim 1 is an internal structure of the mouth of a filler pipe that leads fuel from a fuel gun at a gas station to a fuel tank, wherein the filler pipe is curved three-dimensionally downward and has a wall portion in front of the nozzle of the inserted fuel gun, the filler pipe is equipped with a nozzle support portion that supports the nozzle of the fuel gun, and a guide member that is arranged on the fuel tank side of the nozzle support portion and has a direction change portion that leads fuel released from the nozzle of the fuel gun downward, and the inner surface of the tip portion below the nozzle support portion of the guide member is formed with a locking piece that protrudes upward and can abut against the tip portion of the nozzle of the fuel gun.

In the present invention of claim 1, the filler pipe is curved three-dimensionally downward and has a wall portion in front of the inserted nozzle of the fuel gun, and the filler pipe is equipped with a nozzle support portion that supports the nozzle of the fuel gun and a guide member that is arranged on the fuel tank side of the nozzle support portion and has a direction change portion that guides the fuel released from the nozzle of the fuel gun downward.Therefore, even if the direction of the fuel released from the nozzle of the fuel gun is guided downward by the direction change portion and hits the wall portion beyond it, the fuel can be prevented from bouncing back toward the nozzle of the fuel gun and hitting the auto-stop sensor, and refueling can be prevented from being stopped mid-refueling.
In addition, an upwardly protruding locking piece is formed on the inner surface of the lower tip portion of the nozzle support part of the guide member, which can abut against the tip portion of the nozzle of the fuel gun, thereby preventing the tip portion of the fuel gun from going deeper into the filler pipe (towards the fuel tank) than the nozzle support part, and allowing the tip portion of the fuel gun to be held in a predetermined position.
Furthermore, since the position of the fuel gun in the guide member is fixed, the flow (direction and speed) of fuel is reproduced, making the above-mentioned effect even more reliable.

The present invention of claim 2 is the invention of claim 1, wherein the direction-changing portion of the guide member is an internal structure at the mouth of the filler pipe that, in a cross section in the insertion direction of the fuel gun, has an extension portion that extends above the nozzle support portion, and a displacement portion that extends from the extension portion and displaces downward in a substantially linear manner.

In the present invention of claim 2, the direction-changing portion of the guide member has an extension portion that extends above the nozzle support portion in a cross section in the insertion direction of the fuel gun. Therefore, fuel released from the nozzle support portion is restricted on the upper side by the extension portion that extends above the nozzle support portion, but the lower side is open, resulting in a wider release range. The fuel is then guided downward by a displacement portion that extends from the extension portion and displaces downward in a substantially linear manner. Therefore, the resistance that the fuel faces from the displacement portion can be reduced compared to when no extension portion is formed.

The filler pipe curves downward and three-dimensionally to form a wall in front of the inserted fuel gun nozzle. The filler pipe is fitted with a nozzle support that supports the fuel gun nozzle, and a guide member that is positioned closer to the fuel tank than the nozzle support and has a direction changer that guides fuel released from the fuel gun nozzle downward. Therefore, even if the direction of fuel released from the fuel gun nozzle is guided downward by the direction changer and hits the wall beyond, the fuel can be prevented from bouncing back toward the fuel gun nozzle and hitting the auto-stop sensor, preventing refueling from being stopped mid-refueling.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a fuel gun for supplying fuel is inserted into a filler pipe. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the mouth of a filler pipe, showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of a guide member used in the embodiment of the present invention. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 3, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a simulation result according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating simulation results when a direction change portion is not formed in the guide member. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the mouth of a conventional filler pipe (Patent Document 1). 1 is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the mouth of a conventional filler pipe (Patent Document 2). 1 is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the mouth of a conventional filler pipe (Patent Document 3). 10 is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the mouth of a filler pipe in a conventional guide member in which a direction change portion is not formed.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. The dimensions, shapes, material names, etc. described below are examples and may be modified as appropriate depending on the specifications of the fuel gun nozzle and filler pipe. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fuel gun 2 inserted into a filler pipe 10. Figure 1 shows the filler pipe 10, which serves as a fuel flow path directing the supplied fuel to a fuel tank (not shown) inside the automobile, the fuel gun 2 inserted into the filler pipe 10, and components arranged around the filler pipe 10. A fuel filler lid 6 is supported on the side of the automobile body in an openable and closable manner. The fuel filler lid 6 includes a lid body 7 shaped like the outer panel of the automobile body. The lid body 7 is supported on the outer panel of the automobile body via a hinge 8 in an openable and closable manner. The space revealed when the fuel filler lid 6 is opened is a fuel chamber 9. A fuel filler cap (not shown) is attached to the filler pipe 10. To fill fuel, the fuel cap is removed and the nozzle 3 of the fuel gun 2 is inserted into the filler pipe 10. This embodiment can also be applied to capless types that do not use a fuel cap.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention and is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure 1 of the nozzle of a filler pipe 10, parallel to the insertion direction of the nozzle 3 of a fuel gun 2. The filler pipe 10 comprises a pipe main body 11, a tubular body 20, and a guide member 30. The pipe main body 11 is pipe-shaped with both ends open, one end of which is connected to a fuel tank (not shown). The pipe main body 11 is formed from multiple layers, including a non-conductive layer, with a conductive layer (e.g., a layer made of conductive polyethylene) formed on at least the outermost layer. The pipe main body 11 is molded, for example, by blow molding.

The pipe main body 11 is curved three-dimensionally on the fuel tank side of the guide member 30, with a curved portion 12 downward and in front of the nozzle 3 of the inserted fuel gun 2, forming a wall portion 13.

A protruding portion 14 is formed near the tip of the pipe body 11, protruding in an annular shape radially outward from the pipe body 11. The tip surface of the protruding portion 14 functions as a welding surface 15 extending in a direction intersecting (perpendicular to) the axial direction of the pipe body 11.

The cylindrical body 20 includes an attachment member 21 to which the fuel cap is attached and a welding member 22 that is welded to the pipe main body 11. The cylindrical body 20 is constructed by integrating the attachment member 21 and welding member 22 using two-color molding in a conductive manner.

A guide member 30 is housed inside the tip side of the pipe body 11 and is fixed to the pipe body 11. The guide member 30 will be described in detail later. The filler pipe 10 is manufactured by setting the guide member 30 in a predetermined direction on the pipe body 11, and then welding the welding surface 15 of the protruding portion 14 of the pipe body 11 to the welding member 22 of the tubular portion 20.

Figure 3 is a side view of the guide member 30 of Figure 2. The guide member 30 includes an attachment portion 31 for fitting to the filler pipe 10, a nozzle support portion 32 that supports the nozzle 3 of the inserted fuel gun 2, and a direction change portion 34 that extends from the nozzle support portion 32 toward the fuel tank and changes the direction of fuel 4 emitted from the nozzle 3 of the fuel gun 2 (downward in Figure 2). The nozzle support portion 32 also includes a locking piece 33 formed on the inner surface of the tip portion opposite the side where the direction change portion 34 is formed. The locking piece 33 is capable of abutting against the tip portion of the nozzle 3 of the fuel gun 2 and protrudes toward the direction change portion 34 (upward in Figure 2). The locking piece 33 prevents the tip portion of the nozzle 3 of the fuel gun 2 from entering further into the filler pipe 10 (toward the fuel tank) than the nozzle support portion 32, thereby securing the tip portion of the nozzle 3 of the fuel gun 2 in a predetermined position.

On the other hand, the direction change section 34 includes an extension section 35, which is a linear extension of the upper portion of the nozzle support section 32, and a displacement section 36, which extends from the extension section 35 and displaces downward in a substantially linear manner. As shown in Figure 4(a), the cross section of the nozzle support section 32 is cylindrical, and the direction change section 34 is composed of the extension section 35, which is an extension of the upper portion of the nozzle support section 32 and has a semicircular cross section, and the displacement section 36, which has a semicircular cross section, as shown in Figure 4(b).

Furthermore, the lower portion 37 of the direction change section 34 is formed in a straight line from the extension section 35 protruding from the nozzle support section 32 to the tip of the displacement section 36, maintaining the strength of the direction change section 34 against fuel resistance.

The direction change section 34 of the guide member 30 has an extension section 35 that extends above the nozzle support section 32. Therefore, the fuel 4 released from the nozzle support section 32 is restricted in its flow direction upward by the extension section 35, which extends above the nozzle support section 32, but the downward section is open, resulting in a wider release range. The fuel 4 is then guided downward by the displacement section 36, which extends from the extension section 35 and displaces downward in a substantially linear manner. Therefore, the resistance that the fuel 4 faces from the displacement section 36 can be reduced compared to when the extension section 35 is not formed.

The guide member 30 is made of polyacetylene and molded by blow molding. The nozzle support section 32 is 57 mm long, the direction change section 34 is 36 mm long, the extension section 35 is 23 mm long, and the displacement section 36 is 13 mm long. The angle α of the displacement section 36 relative to the extension section 35 is 15°.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a screen showing the results of a simulation of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the results of a simulation in which the guide member 30 does not have a direction changer 34 (Figure 10). Note that the darkened areas of the fuel 4 indicate the presence of rebound. As is clear from Figure 6, in the absence of the direction changer 34 on the guide member 30, the fuel 4 released from the nozzle 3 of the fuel gun 2 is released in the same direction as the nozzle 3, with some of it rebounding off the opposing wall 13 and reaching the auto-stop sensor 5.

On the other hand, as is clear from Figure 5, in this embodiment, the direction change portion 34 of the guide member 30, particularly the displacement portion 36, directs the direction of the fuel 4 released from the nozzle 3 of the fuel gun 2 downward, so that even if the fuel 4 hits the wall portion 13 beyond, it bounces back toward the nozzle 3 of the fuel gun 2 and is further prevented from reaching the auto-stop sensor 5 of the nozzle 3 of the fuel gun 2.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the direction change section 34 is formed by an extension section 35, which is a linear extension of the upper portion of the nozzle support section 32, and a displacement section 36, which extends from the extension section 35 and displaces downward in a substantially linear manner, but the extension section 35 and the displacement section 36 may also be formed in a gentle arc shape.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1: nozzle internal structure 2: fuel gun 3: nozzle 10: filler pipe 13: wall portion 30: guide member 32: nozzle support portion 33: engagement piece 34: direction change portion 35: extension portion 36: displacement portion

Claims (2)

An internal structure of the mouth of a filler pipe that guides fuel from a fuel gun at a gas station to a fuel tank,
the filler pipe is curved downward and three-dimensionally so as to have a wall portion in front of the nozzle of the inserted fuel gun;
the filler pipe has a nozzle support portion that supports the nozzle of the fuel gun;
a guide member is attached to the fuel gun, the guide member having a direction change portion that guides the fuel discharged from the nozzle of the fuel gun downward , the guide member being disposed closer to the fuel tank than the nozzle support portion;
The internal structure of the mouth of a filler pipe is characterized in that the inner surface of the lower tip portion of the nozzle support part of the guide member is formed with an upwardly protruding locking piece that can abut against the tip portion of the nozzle of the fuel gun. The internal structure of the filler pipe mouth as described in claim 1, wherein the direction change portion of the guide member has, in a cross section parallel to the insertion direction of the fuel gun, an extension portion extending above the nozzle support portion, and a displacement portion extending from the extension portion and displacing downward in a substantially linear manner.