Fuel tank and vehicle

Abstract

The fuel tank comprises a shell, a fuel pump is arranged in the shell, the fuel tank further comprises an oil collecting plate and a driving motor, the oil collecting plate is rotatably mounted in the shell, the driving motor is used for driving the oil collecting plate to rotate, the oil collecting plate is mounted at the end, in the front-back direction, of the shell, and the driving motor is used for driving the oil collecting plate to rotate. And the fuel oil pump is used for pushing the fuel oil at the inner end part of the shell to the fuel oil pump. Therefore, the fuel collecting plate is additionally arranged in the fuel tank, so that a vehicle can fully utilize the dead volume of the fuel tank, the fuel is kept to be concentrated near the fuel pump when the vehicle goes uphill and downhill, the situation that the fuel of a traditional fuel tank runs to one end of the fuel tank to cause insufficient fuel absorption is avoided, the dead volume of the fuel tank can be effectively reduced, and the fuel efficiency is improved. The fuel utilization rate of the fuel tank is increased, the driving mileage of a vehicle on a slope is increased, and fuel tank noise caused by surge formed by fuel in the fuel tank can be effectively prevented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of automobile fuel tanks, and in particular, to a fuel tank and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The fuel tank's primary function is to store fuel and supply sufficient fuel to the engine, making it a crucial component for vehicle operation. However, the actual design of the fuel tank, due to the reinforcement ribs and tie-down grooves, creates a certain amount of dead volume in the tank. Dead volume refers to the volume of fuel in the tank that cannot be pumped out by the fuel supply system, resulting in inefficient use of the tank's capacity. When driving uphill or downhill, the vehicle experiences significant dead volume at the front and rear ends, causing fuel to flow to one end of the tank, reducing the amount of fuel available for the pump to draw. This reduces the vehicle's mileage on slopes and can even cause the vehicle to stall or fail to start while driving.

[0003] In addition, with the increasing number of PHEV models, vehicles have pure electric driving modes. In this case, the fuel surge noise in the fuel tank has received more and more attention. At present, when the vehicle stops suddenly due to sudden braking, the fuel in the fuel tank will surge and cause noise. Utility Model Content

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a fuel tank and a vehicle to at least partially solve the problems existing in the related art.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present disclosure provides a fuel tank, including a shell, in which a fuel pump is provided, and the fuel tank also includes an oil collecting plate rotatably mounted in the shell and a drive motor for driving the oil collecting plate to rotate, wherein the oil collecting plate is mounted at the end of the shell in the front-to-rear direction to push the fuel at the inner end of the shell toward the fuel pump.

[0006] Optionally, the oil collecting plate has a fixed end and a free end, wherein the fixed end is arranged close to the fuel pump, and the free end is configured to be able to rotate around the fixed end, and the oil collecting plate can rotate relative to the bottom plate of the shell in an angle range of 0°~90°.

[0007] Optionally, a rotating shaft is further installed in the shell, the fixed end of the oil collecting plate is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft, and the output end of the driving motor is connected to the rotating shaft.

[0008] Optionally, the drive motor is fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the housing, and the output shaft of the drive motor extends into the housing to be connected to the rotating shaft.

[0009] Optionally, the housing includes an upper housing and a lower housing, the oil collecting plate and the fuel pump are respectively mounted on a bottom plate of the lower housing, and the fuel pump is mounted in the middle of the lower housing.

[0010] Optionally, protrusions are provided on the bottom plate of the lower shell at the front and rear ends of the fuel pump, respectively. The protrusions are connected between two opposite inner walls of the lower shell in the left and right directions and protrude upward relative to the bottom plate.

[0011] Optionally, the oil collecting plates are respectively installed on the front side of the raised portion located at the front end of the fuel pump and the rear side of the raised portion located at the rear end of the fuel pump, and the fixed ends of the oil collecting plates are installed on the side walls of the raised portions. The oil collecting plates are configured so that their free ends can rest against the inner walls of the two ends of the lower shell in the front-to-back direction.

[0012] Optionally, the oil collecting plate is made of elastic material.

[0013] Optionally, the fuel tank also includes a control device and a slope sensor, the control device is electrically connected to the slope sensor and the drive motor respectively, and the control device is configured to control the drive motor to drive the oil collecting plate to rotate a preset angle based on the slope signal detected by the slope sensor.

[0014] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is further provided, comprising the above-mentioned fuel tank.

[0015] Through the above technical solution, an oil collecting plate is added inside the fuel tank, so that the vehicle can make full use of the dead volume of the fuel tank, and keep the fuel concentrated near the fuel pump when the vehicle goes uphill and downhill, avoiding the situation in which the fuel in the traditional fuel tank flows to one end of the fuel tank and causes insufficient fuel absorption. It can effectively reduce the dead volume of the fuel tank, improve the fuel utilization rate of the fuel tank, and increase the vehicle's mileage on slopes. It can also effectively prevent the fuel in the fuel tank from forming surges and causing fuel tank noise.

[0016] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the following detailed description, they are used to explain the present disclosure but do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a fuel tank provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of a fuel tank provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure without an upper shell;

[0020] Figure 3is a schematic diagram of a fuel state when a fuel tank is in a downhill state, provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a fuel state when a fuel tank is in an uphill state, provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of a fuel plate in a fuel tank provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Description of Reference Numerals

[0024] 1-housing; 11-upper housing; 12-lower housing; 121-protrusion; 2-fuel pump; 3-oil collecting plate; 4-rotating shaft DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following describes the specific embodiments of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0026] In this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, the directional terms "upper", "lower", "top", and "bottom" are defined based on the actual directions in which the relevant components are used. "Inside" and "outside" refer to the outlines of the corresponding components themselves. The directional terms "front-back direction" and "left-right direction" are defined based on the directions of the drawings, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 In the present disclosure, when the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings represent the same or similar elements.

[0027] Reference Figures 1 to 5 The present disclosure provides a fuel tank, which may include a shell 1, in which a fuel pump 2 is provided. The fuel tank may also include an oil collecting plate 3 rotatably mounted in the shell 1 and a drive motor for driving the oil collecting plate 3 to rotate. It should be noted that the drive motor may be any form of electric drive component that can realize the function of driving the oil collecting plate 3 to rotate. The present disclosure does not impose any specific restrictions on the type of drive motor. The oil collecting plate 3 is mounted at the ends of the shell 1 in the front-to-back direction to push the fuel at the inner end of the shell 1 to the fuel pump 2. The oil collecting plate 3 can push as much fuel as possible to the vicinity of the fuel pump 2, which can facilitate the fuel pump 2 to absorb oil during the vehicle's uphill and downhill driving process, thereby improving the mileage on slopes; the oil collecting plate 3 can also increase the resistance to the shaking of the oil in the shell 1, thereby reducing the energy generated by the shaking of the oil and achieving the purpose of reducing noise.

[0028] Through the above technical solution, an oil collecting plate is added inside the fuel tank, so that the vehicle can make full use of the dead volume of the fuel tank, and keep the fuel concentrated near the fuel pump when the vehicle goes uphill and downhill, avoiding the situation in which the fuel in the traditional fuel tank flows to one end of the fuel tank and causes insufficient fuel absorption. It can effectively reduce the dead volume of the fuel tank, improve the fuel utilization rate of the fuel tank, and increase the vehicle's mileage on slopes. It can also effectively prevent the fuel in the fuel tank from forming surges and causing fuel tank noise.

[0029] Furthermore, the oil collecting plate 3 has a fixed end and a free end. The fixed end is located near the fuel pump 2, and the free end is configured to rotate about the fixed end. The oil collecting plate 3 can rotate relative to the bottom plate of the housing 1 within an angle range of 0° to 90°. Specifically, the oil collecting plate 3 is initially horizontal. When the vehicle travels uphill or downhill, the oil collecting plate 3 can rotate to a vertical position, or to a position between the horizontal and vertical positions, to push the fuel at the end of the housing 1 toward the area around the fuel pump 2, thereby improving the mileage on hilly roads.

[0030] In some embodiments, reference Figure 2 、 Figure 5 A rotating shaft 4 may also be installed in the housing 1. The fixed end of the oil collecting plate 3 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 4, and the output end of the drive motor is connected to the rotating shaft 4. A rotating space for the oil collecting plate 3 is formed between the rotating shaft 4 and the inner walls of the lower housing 12 at both ends in the front-to-back direction. The fixed end of the oil collecting plate 3 can rotate around the rotating shaft 4.

[0031] The drive motor can be fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the housing 1, and the output shaft of the drive motor extends into the housing 1 to be connected to the rotating shaft 4. Specifically, the output shaft of the drive motor can be connected to the side wall of the housing 1 through a bearing to increase the stability of the output shaft.

[0032] Among them, reference Figure 1 、 Figure 2 The housing 1 may include an upper housing 11 and a lower housing 12, with the oil collecting plate 3 and the fuel pump 2 respectively mounted on the bottom plate of the lower housing 12. Due to gravity, the fuel will mainly concentrate in the lower housing 12. The fuel pump 2 is mounted on the lower housing 12 to facilitate the absorption of the fuel, and the oil collecting plate 3 is mounted on the lower housing 12 to facilitate the pushing of the fuel at the inner end of the housing 1 to the fuel pump 2. Specifically, refer to Figure 2 The fuel pump 2 can be installed in the middle of the lower housing 12 to maximize the absorption of fuel in the fuel tank.

[0033] In some embodiments, the bottom plate of the lower housing 12 is provided with raised portions 121 at the front and rear ends of the fuel pump 2. These raised portions 121 are connected between two opposing inner walls of the lower housing 12 in the left-right direction and project upward relative to the bottom plate. The provision of these raised portions 121 allows fuel to be concentrated to a certain extent between the two raised portions 121, i.e., around the fuel pump 2 located in the middle of the lower housing 12.

[0034] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, reference Figure 2 , the front side of the raised portion 121 at the front end of the fuel pump 2 and the rear side of the raised portion 121 at the rear end of the fuel pump 2 are respectively installed with oil collecting plates 3, and the fixed ends of the oil collecting plates 3 are installed on the side walls of the raised portion 121. The raised portion 121 can provide an installation position for the oil collecting plates 3 and can increase the connection strength of the oil collecting plates 3. Moreover, the oil collecting plates 3 located at the front and rear ends of the raised portion 121 can push the fuel located at the ends to between the two raised portions 121, thereby improving fuel utilization. The oil collecting plates 3 can be configured so that their free ends can rest on the inner walls of the two ends of the lower shell 12 in the front-to-back direction, that is, the free ends of the oil collecting plates 3 can scrape against the inner walls of the two ends of the lower shell 12 in the front-to-back direction during rotation. As Figure 4 As shown in FIG, when the vehicle is in an uphill state, the fuel is concentrated at the rear of the housing 1. By driving the oil collecting plate 3 at the rear end to rotate by the drive motor, the fuel at the rear of the housing 1 can be pushed to the fuel pump 2 located in the middle of the lower housing 12 to reduce the dead volume of the fuel tank. Figure 3 As shown, when the vehicle is in a downhill state, the fuel is concentrated in the front of the shell 1. By driving the oil collecting plate 3 at the front end to rotate by the driving motor, the fuel in the front of the shell 1 can be pushed to the fuel pump 2 located in the middle of the lower shell 12 to improve the fuel utilization rate of the fuel tank.

[0035] The oil collecting plate 3 can be made of an elastic material. Specifically, the oil collecting plate 3 can be made of a soft plastic with a certain degree of elasticity. When it scrapes against the inner wall of the housing 1, it can partially deform to push as much fuel as possible from the dead volume at the front and rear of the fuel tank toward the area around the fuel pump 2. This allows the fuel pump to draw more fuel when the vehicle is going up or down a slope, thereby improving the fuel utilization rate of the fuel tank and thereby increasing the mileage on hilly roads.

[0036] Specifically, the oil collecting plate 3 can be made of polyurethane or polyethylene. Polyurethane, also known as polyurethane, is a polymer material with excellent mechanical properties and strong plasticity, formed by the polycondensation reaction of polyols and polyisocyanates. Polyethylene is a thermoplastic resin made by the polymerization reaction of ethylene monomers and has strong elasticity.

[0037] In some embodiments, a sealing and vibration-damping pad can be provided at the location where the lower housing 12 contacts the oil collecting plate 3. This sealing and vibration-damping pad prevents the oil collecting plate 3 from repeatedly scraping against the inner wall of the lower housing 12, generating noise. It also enhances the seal between the oil collecting plate 3 and the inner wall of the lower housing 12, thereby pushing as much fuel as possible from the end of the fuel tank toward the middle of the fuel tank. This prevents fuel from leaking from the gap between the oil collecting plate 3 and the inner wall of the lower housing 12 when the oil collecting plate 3 rotates, thereby affecting fuel utilization.

[0038] As an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the fuel tank may further include a control device and a slope sensor. The control device is electrically connected to the slope sensor and the drive motor, respectively. The control device may be configured to control the drive motor to rotate the oil collecting plate 3 by a preset angle based on a slope signal detected by the slope sensor. The preset angle may be between 0° and 90°, specifically 45°, and the preset angle may be set based on actual needs. When the vehicle is traveling uphill, the slope sensor detects an uphill signal and transmits the uphill signal to the control device. Upon receiving the signal, the control device controls the drive motor to rotate the shaft 4 of the oil collecting plate 3 at the rear end by a preset angle, thereby driving the oil below to the area located at the fuel pump 2. The operating principle of the control device when the vehicle is traveling downhill is the same as that of the embodiment when the vehicle is traveling uphill, and will not be further described here. When the vehicle moves or stops suddenly, the control device controls the drive motor to drive the oil collecting plate 3 to rotate, which can prevent the fuel in the fuel tank from surging and avoid the noise in the fuel tank; and when the vehicle goes uphill or downhill, the control device controls the drive motor to drive the oil collecting plate 3 to rotate, which can reduce the dead volume of the fuel tank, improve the fuel utilization rate of the fuel tank, and thus increase the mileage on slopes.

[0039] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is further provided, which may include the above-mentioned fuel tank. The vehicle has all the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned fuel tank, which will not be described in detail here.

[0040] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present disclosure, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0041] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any appropriate manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present disclosure will not further describe various possible combinations.

[0042] In addition, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be arbitrarily combined, and as long as they do not violate the concept of the present disclosure, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A fuel tank comprising a housing, wherein a fuel pump is provided in the housing, characterized in that: The fuel tank also includes an oil collecting plate rotatably mounted in the shell and a drive motor for driving the oil collecting plate to rotate, wherein the oil collecting plate is mounted at the end portions in the front-to-rear direction of the shell to push the fuel in the inner end portion of the shell toward the fuel pump.

2. The fuel tank according to claim 1, characterized in that The oil collecting plate has a fixed end and a free end, wherein the fixed end is arranged close to the fuel pump, and the free end is configured to be able to rotate around the fixed end. The oil collecting plate can rotate relative to the bottom plate of the shell in an angle range of 0° to 90°.

3. The fuel tank according to claim 2, characterized in that A rotating shaft is also installed in the shell, the fixed end of the oil collecting plate is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft, and the output end of the driving motor is connected to the rotating shaft.

4. The fuel tank according to claim 3, characterized in that The driving motor is fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the housing, and the output shaft of the driving motor extends into the housing to be connected with the rotating shaft.

5. The fuel tank according to claim 2, characterized in that The housing comprises an upper housing and a lower housing. The oil collecting plate and the fuel pump are respectively mounted on the bottom plate of the lower housing. The fuel pump is mounted in the middle of the lower housing.

6. The fuel tank according to claim 5, characterized in that The bottom plate of the lower shell is provided with protrusions at the front and rear ends of the fuel pump, respectively. The protrusions are connected between two opposite inner walls of the lower shell in the left and right directions and protrude upward relative to the bottom plate.

7. The fuel tank according to claim 6, characterized in that The oil collecting plates are respectively installed on the front side of the raised portion located at the front end of the fuel pump and the rear side of the raised portion located at the rear end of the fuel pump. The fixed ends of the oil collecting plates are installed on the side walls of the raised portions. The oil collecting plates are configured so that their free ends can rest against the inner walls of the two ends of the lower shell in the front-to-back direction.

8. The fuel tank according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that: The oil collecting plate is made of elastic material.

9. The fuel tank according to claim 1, characterized in that The fuel tank also includes a control device and a slope sensor. The control device is electrically connected to the slope sensor and the drive motor respectively. The control device is configured to control the drive motor to drive the oil collecting plate to rotate a preset angle based on the slope signal detected by the slope sensor.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: Comprising a fuel tank according to any one of claims 1-9.

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