Mounting structure for vehicle canisters

Abstract

A mounting structure for a vehicle canister, in which a fuel tank (10) is mounted under a base plate by means of a tank strap (19), a recess (13) is provided in a base surface of the fuel tank (10) which is set back towards the top of the vehicle, and a vehicle canister (20) is arranged in the recess (13), wherein the tank strap (19) is connected to a vehicle body from the underside of the vehicle under support of the recess (13), a canister holder (25) is connected to the tank strap (19), and the vehicle canister (20) is attached to the recess (13) by the canister holder (25), characterized by the fact that the canister holder (25) has the form of a flat plate, wherein the vehicle canister (20) is connected to the canister holder (25) located in the recess (13) via three fastening elements (28), one of the fastening elements (28) is arranged on one side in the width direction of the tank belt (19), and two of the fastening elements (28) are arranged on the other side in the width direction of the tank band (19).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fastening structure for a vehicle canister. [Previous state of the art]

[0002] A vehicle canister is a device for adsorbing vapor, such as gasoline, which serves to prevent vapor from a vehicle's fuel tank from escaping into the atmosphere and which is attached to a bottom surface of the fuel tank, as disclosed in patent literature 1. The canister is generally attached to the bottom surface of the fuel tank by means of a bracket.

[0003] For the prior art, reference is made to JP 2002-192966 A. The generic JP 2014-234738 A discloses a mounting structure for a vehicle fuel canister in which a fuel tank is mounted under a base plate by means of a tank strap. A recess is provided in a base surface of the fuel tank, set back towards the top of the vehicle, in which a vehicle fuel canister is arranged. US 2012 / 0213580A1 describes a component held in a recess of a fuel tank by means of a tank strap, which is fixed to the fuel tank by connecting elements provided on both sides of the tank strap. [Brief description of the invention][Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To improve vapor adsorption performance in light of stricter legal regulations regarding the production quantities of vaporized gas, the size of vehicle canisters is increased, and this increase tends to increase their weight. The weight increase resulting from the larger vehicle canister places greater stress on the structure used to secure the canister.

[0005] The jerrycan is attached to the fuel tank via the bracket, ensuring continued stability. However, there is still room for improvement in the jerrycan's mounting structure to accommodate the aforementioned increase in size.

[0006] The present invention was developed to solve the problem described above, and the object of the present invention is to provide a fastening structure for a vehicle canister that enables a further improvement in the mounting strength of the vehicle canister. [Means to solve the problem]

[0007] The problem underlying the invention is solved by a fastening structure for a vehicle canister with the features of claim 1.

[0008] In a vehicle canister mounting structure, a fuel tank is mounted under a base plate by means of a tank strap, a recess is provided in a base surface of the fuel tank, set back towards the top of the vehicle, and the vehicle canister is arranged in the recess.In the mounting structure of a vehicle canister, the tank strap is connected to a vehicle body while supporting the recess from the underside of the vehicle, a canister holder is connected to the tank strap and the vehicle canister is attached to the recess by the canister holder, the canister holder having the form of a flat plate, the vehicle canister is connected to the canister holder located in the recess by three fastening elements, one of the fastening elements being arranged on one side in the width direction of the tank strap, and two of the fastening elements being arranged on the other side in the width direction of the tank strap. [Advantageous effect of the invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to further improve the mounting strength of a vehicle canister. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] They show: [ Fig. 1] the Fig. 1 a perspective view of a vehicle with a mounting structure of a vehicle canister according to the present invention, viewed from an underside and a front of the vehicle; [ Fig. 2] the Fig. 2 a perspective view of the appearance of a fuel tank of the Fig. 1. Viewed from the top of a vehicle; [ Fig. 3] the Fig. 3 a perspective expanded view of the fuel tank of the Fig. 2; [ Fig. 4] the Fig. 4. A bottom view of the circumference of the vehicle canister. Fig. 1; [ Fig. 5] the Fig. 5 a sectional view along line AA in Fig. 4. [Emphasis of the invention]

[0011] In the following, a fastening structure for a vehicle canister 20 according to the present invention is described with reference to the drawings ( Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4 to Fig. 5) described.

[0012] The fastening structure of the vehicle canister 20 of this embodiment is a structure in which the vehicle canister 20 is attached to a fuel tank 10 via a tank strap and a canister holder 25.

[0013] As in the Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the fuel tank 10 is located between longitudinal beams 31, as shown in Figure 1. Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the longitudinal members 31 are arranged in the two corresponding lateral sections in the vehicle width direction in a lower part of the vehicle. These members extend longitudinally and are high-rigidity elements that form a vehicle body frame. A floor panel 33, forming a vehicle body floor, is mounted on the upper parts of the longitudinal members 31. The fuel tank 10 is mounted on a cross member (vehicle body) located between the longitudinal members 31, which are vehicle body components. In this embodiment, a differential 35, a driveshaft 37 extending longitudinally, and the like are arranged in the vicinity of the fuel tank 10.

[0014] As in the Fig. 2 and the Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the fuel tank 10 is a resin container extending in the width of the vehicle and has a depression 13 on its outer surface along the entire length of the vehicle. That is, the base of the fuel tank 10 has a depression 13 and a projection 15 adjacent to this depression. The depression 13 in the fuel tank 10 is a shallow base section, and the projection 15 is a deep base section.

[0015] In the shallow floor recess 13, the entire area of ​​the fuel tank 10 is recessed on the outside in the vehicle's longitudinal direction towards the vehicle's upper surface. In the Fig. The recess 13 shown in Figure 1 is a right-hand side section set back in the base of the fuel tank 10. That is, the base of the fuel tank 10 has a step consisting of two base surfaces: an upper base surface 13a, which is a flat section where the recess 13 is located, and a lower base surface 15a, which is the deep projection 15 adjacent to the recess 13. The vehicle canister 20 is mounted in the recess 13. The mounting of the vehicle canister 20 and related components are described below.

[0016] In a side surface extending from the outside in the vehicle width direction of the upper floor surface 13a towards the top of the vehicle, a (not shown) supply bore is provided for introducing liquid fuel into the fuel tank 10, and a recovery part 11 for recovering vapor transpired from liquid fuel is provided on an upper surface of the fuel tank 10.

[0017] A hose 16 for refilling is installed in the supply bore. The liquid fuel is fed into the fuel tank 10 via the hose 16. The recovery unit 11 is connected to the vehicle canister 20 via a pipeline 17 for recovery. The vapor generated by the transpiration of the liquid fuel in the fuel tank 10 is fed into the vehicle canister 20 via the pipeline 17 for recovery.

[0018] In this embodiment, the canister mounting structure has two tank straps (a first tank strap 18 and a second tank strap 19). The projection 15 of the fuel tank 10 is attached to an underside surface of the floor plate 33 in a state where the lower bottom surface 15a is supported from the underside of the vehicle by the first tank strap 18. Furthermore, the recess 13 is attached to the cross member in a state where the upper bottom surface 13a is supported from the underside of the vehicle by the second tank strap 19.

[0019] The first tank band 18 is formed by bending a long, plate-shaped element extending longitudinally along the vehicle towards the top of the vehicle at two points. That is, the first tank band 18 essentially has the shape of a U with two bent sections 18a spaced apart longitudinally along the vehicle. Longitudinal ends (upper ends 18b) of the first tank band 18 are connected to the cross member in such a way that the respective bent sections 18a correspond to a front end and a rear end, respectively, of the lower bottom surface 15a of the projection 15 of the fuel tank 10. In this example, the upper ends 18b of the first tank band are, as shown in the Fig. 3 shown, attached to the crossbeam by means of bolts or the like.

[0020] Similar to the first tank band 18, the second tank band 19 is formed by bending a long, plate-shaped element extending longitudinally along the vehicle towards the top of the vehicle at two points. That is, the second tank band 19 essentially has the shape of a U with two bent sections 19a spaced apart along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Longitudinal ends (upper ends 19b) of the second tank band 19 are fastened to the cross member by means of bolts or the like in such a way that the respective bent sections 19a correspond, similarly to the first tank band 18, to a front end and a rear end of the upper bottom surface 13a of the recess 13 of the fuel tank 10.

[0021] The canister holder 25 is connected in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle between the two bent sections 19a of the second tank strap 19. The connection of the canister holder 25 to the second tank strap 19 is described below. The fuel tank 10, secured by the first tank strap 18 and the second tank strap 19, is covered from below by a protector 10a. The protector 10a covers an end face and a rear face of the fuel tank 10, as well as the lower surface 15a, leaving the upper bottom surface 13a exposed. The protector 10a is mounted on a section slightly below the upper ends 18b of the first tank strap 18 and the upper ends 19b of the second tank strap.

[0022] Next, a form and similar feature of the vehicle canister 20 will be described. As in the Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle canister 20 has essentially a rectangular parallelepiped shape and extends longitudinally along the vehicle. The recovery hose shown above is connected to a rear portion of the vehicle canister 20. The vehicle canister 20 has three mounting flanges for attachment to the canister bracket 25: a first mounting flange 21a, a second mounting flange 21b, and a third mounting flange 21c. The mounting flanges 21a, 21b, and 21c are located on an upper surface of the vehicle canister 20.

[0023] The first mounting flange 21a projects from a vehicle-front edge of the upper surface towards the rear of the vehicle. The second mounting flange 21b is located slightly rearward from the center in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at an inner end of the upper surface (in the vehicle width direction) and projects inwards in the vehicle width direction. The third mounting flange 21c projects outwards in the vehicle width direction from a rear portion of an outer end of the upper surface (in the vehicle width direction). Each mounting flange is provided with through-holes that allow the passage of fastening elements such as bolts. The following describes the assembly of the vehicle canister 20 and the canister holder 25.

[0024] As in the Fig. 3 and the Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the canister holder 25 has the form of a flat plate extending horizontally. In this example, the canister holder 25 is trapezoidal and has two sides (an upper base and a lower base of the trapezoidal shape) that extend parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0025] As in the Fig. As shown in Figure 5, a band connecting element 26, connected to the second tank strap 19, is provided on a surface of the canister holder 25. The band connecting element 26 is arranged substantially centrally on an upper surface of the canister holder 25 in the vehicle width direction and extends in the vehicle length direction in a position projecting towards the vehicle top, so that one upper surface is flat.

[0026] The band connecting element 26 rests against a flat section located in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle between the two bent sections 19a of the second tank band 19, and is connected to the second tank band 19 by spot welding. As shown in the Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the band connecting part 26 is welded in three areas which are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which becomes the longitudinal direction of the band.

[0027] The canister holder 25 has two tank connection parts (a first tank connection part 27a and a second tank connection part 27b), three canister fastening parts (a first canister fastening part 29a, a second canister fastening part 29b and a third canister fastening part 29c).

[0028] The first tank connection part 27a and the second tank connection part 27b are arranged on both sides of the belt connection part 26 in the vehicle width direction. That is, the first tank connection part 27a is located in an area (lower area of ​​the second tank belt 19 in Fig. 5) with the second tank band 19 as a boundary, and the second tank connection part 27b is in an area (upper area of ​​the second tank band 19 in Fig. 5) on a side opposite the first tank connection part 27a. The first tank connection part 27a and the second tank connection part 27b are offset in the longitudinal direction (vehicle longitudinal direction) of the second tank belt 19. In this example, the first tank connection part 27a is located at the rear of the vehicle relative to the second tank connection part 27b.

[0029] An upper surface of the first tank connection part 27a projects towards the top of the vehicle, and a corresponding lower surface is recessed. That is, in the first tank connection part 27a, the upper surface is formed with a shape projecting towards the top of the vehicle, and the upper surface of this projecting shape is flat. The flat section of the first tank connection part 27a is provided with a through-hole, and a bolt (connecting element) 23 passes through this bore for insertion.

[0030] Without going into detail, the head of the bolt 23 is connected to the upper bottom surface 13a of the fuel tank 10, and the head and foot of the bolt are covered with a resin part 23a made of a resin material. An end face of the resin part rests against the top of the first tank connection part 27a. A screw portion of the bolt 23 passes through the through-hole of the first tank connection part 27a, and a resin nut (connecting element) 24 is screwed onto the screw portion. The nut 24 is tightened so that the first tank connection part 27a is secured to the upper bottom surface 13a of the fuel tank 10.

[0031] The second tank connection part 27b is also attached to the upper bottom surface 13a, similar to the first tank connection part 27a. The bolt 23 passing through the first tank connection part 27a and the bolt 23 passing through the second tank connection part 27b are arranged on both sides of the second tank band 19, with the latter as the boundary, and are offset in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0032] Next, the assembly of the vehicle canister 20 of this embodiment is described. First, before attaching the fuel tank 10 to the base plate 33, the canister holder 25 is connected to the second tank strap 19 by the first tank strap 18 and the second tank strap 19. The two bolts 23 and the like are connected at predetermined positions on the upper bottom surface 13a of the fuel tank 10. Then, the side of the fuel tank 10 on which the projection 15 is located is supported by the first tank strap 18. Next, the recess 13 is supported by the second tank strap 19, which is connected to the canister holder 25. The tank straps 18 and 19 are attached to the cross member, and the fuel tank 10 is attached to the cross member.

[0033] The first tank connection part 27a and the second tank connection part 27b of the canister holder 25 are then mounted to the screw bolts 23. The canister holder 25 is attached to the second tank strap 19 and to the fuel tank 10, and then the mounting flanges 21a to 21c of the vehicle canister 20 are positioned and secured to the vehicle canister mounting parts 29a to 29c. Finally, the protector 10a is mounted.

[0034] According to this embodiment, the second tank strap 19 is attached to the fuel tank 10 by resting against the upper bottom surface 13a of the fuel tank 10 and pressing against it. The second tank strap 19 therefore has sufficient rigidity to meet the mounting requirements of the vehicle canister 20. In this embodiment, the vehicle canister 20 is attached to the second tank strap 19 via the canister holder 25, thus ensuring the vehicle canister 20 is securely mounted. Furthermore, the vehicle canister 20 is not mounted directly to the fuel tank 10, so no local load acts on the fuel tank 10.

[0035] The first tank connection part 27a and the second tank connection part 27b are arranged on both sides of the second tank strap 19, so that vibrations of the canister holder 25 and the vehicle canister 20 are suppressed. In this embodiment, the canister holder 25, which is attached to the second tank strap 19, is attached to the fuel tank 10, and thus a part intended solely for tank positioning is not required.

[0036] The first tank connection part 27a and the second tank connection part 27b, which allow the bolts 23 to pass through, are arranged on both sides of the second tank band 19 with the second tank band 19 in between, and are arranged offset in the longitudinal direction (vehicle longitudinal direction) of the second tank band 19, so that vibrations can be suppressed over a wide area.

[0037] The first canister mounting part 29a is arranged at a corner of an outer part 25b in the vehicle width direction and of a trapezoidal rear part 25a of the canister holder 25. The second canister mounting part 29b is arranged at a corner of an inner part 25c in the vehicle width direction and of the rear part 25a of the canister holder 25. The second canister mounting part 29b is located at the front of the vehicle relative to the first canister mounting part 29a. The third canister mounting part 29c is arranged opposite the second canister mounting part 29b at a corner of the outer part 25b in the vehicle width direction and of a front part 25d at the front of the vehicle. The canister fastening parts 29a to 29c are designed with the respective through holes, and the fastening elements 28, such as screw bolts, pass through the respective through holes.

[0038] The first mounting flange 21a of the vehicle canister 20 rests against the first canister mounting part 29a, and fastening elements such as bolts pass through the through holes of the first canister mounting part 29a and the first mounting flange 21a from the top of the first canister mounting part 29a, so that the first mounting flange 21a is attached to the first canister mounting part 29a. In the same way, the second mounting flange 21b of the vehicle canister 20 is attached to the second canister mounting part 29b, and the third mounting flange 21c is attached to the third container mounting part 29c.

[0039] For example, the upper base surface 13a and the canister holder 25 are connected to each other at two sections. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The upper base surface 13a and the canister holder 25 can be connected to each other at three or more sections. [List of reference symbols] 10 Fuel tank 11 Recovery section 13. Further Study 13a upper floor area 15 lead 15a lower floor area 16 Refill hose 17 Recovery line 18 first tank strap 18a Bending section 18b upper end 19 second tank strap (tank strap) 19a Bending section 19b upper end 20 vehicle canisters 21a first mounting flange 21b second mounting flange 21c third mounting flange 23 screw bolts (connecting element) 23a Resin part 24 Nut (connecting element) 25 canister holder 26 Band connector (connecting part) 27a first tank connection part 27b second tank connection part 28 Mounting element 29a first canister mounting part 29b second canister fastening part 29c third canister fastening part 31 longitudinal beams 33 Floor plate 35 Differential gear 37 Drive shaft

Claims

A mounting structure for a vehicle fuel can, in which a fuel tank (10) is mounted under a base plate by means of a tank strap (19), a recess (13) is provided in a base surface of the fuel tank (10) which is set back towards the upper surface of the vehicle, and a vehicle fuel can (20) is arranged in the recess (13), wherein the tank strap (19) is connected to a vehicle body from the underside of the vehicle under support of the recess (13), a fuel can holder (25) is connected to the tank strap (19), and the vehicle fuel can (20) is attached to the recess (13) by the fuel can holder (25), characterized in that the fuel can holder (25) has the form of a flat plate, wherein the vehicle fuel can (20) is connected to the fuel can holder (25) located in the recess (13) via three fastening elements (28).one of the fastening elements (28) is arranged on one side in the width direction of the tank band (19), and two of the fastening elements (28) are arranged on the other side in the width direction of the tank band (19). Fastening structure of a vehicle canister according to claim 1, wherein the canister holder (25) is connected to the base surface located in the recess (13) by at least two connecting elements (23), and the connecting elements (23) are arranged in the width direction on both sides of the tank band (19). Fastening structure of a vehicle canister according to claim 2, wherein the connecting elements (23) arranged in the width direction on both sides of the tank band (19) are arranged such that they are offset in the longitudinal direction of the tank band (19).

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