fuel supply unit

Abstract

Improve the connectivity of the ground terminal to the fuel pump. [Solution] The fuel supply device 20 includes a fuel pump 60 that sucks fuel from the fuel tank and discharges it to the outside and has an electrical connector portion 70, and a pump wire harness 80 that has a pump-side connector 83 that is mated to the electrical connector portion 70. The pump-side connector 83 is provided with an earth terminal 92 that has conductivity for the fuel pump 60 and contacts the pump housing 61 that forms the outer casing of the fuel pump.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a fuel supply device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is a fuel supply device including a fuel pump that sucks fuel in a fuel tank, discharges it to the outside, and has an electric connector portion, and a wire harness for a pump having a pump-side connector that is fitted and connected to the electric connector portion (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The ground terminal of the ground wire is connected to a position on the pump housing forming the outer shell of the fuel pump, which is separated from the side opposite to the electric connector portion (see FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1). Further, since the ground terminal is connected to the pump housing separately from the pump-side connector, the conductivity becomes unstable. For this reason, the connection property of the ground terminal to the fuel pump is deteriorated.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the technology disclosed in this specification is to improve the connection property of the ground terminal to the fuel pump.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, the technology disclosed in this specification takes the following means.

[0007] The first means is a fuel supply device comprising a fuel pump that sucks fuel from a fuel tank and discharges it to the outside and has an electrical connector, and a pump wire harness having a pump-side connector that is mated to the electrical connector, wherein the pump-side connector is provided with an earth terminal that contacts a conductive member of the fuel pump.

[0008] According to the first method, by providing an earth terminal on the pump-side connector, the earth terminal can be connected to the conductive member of the fuel pump at a position close to the connection point of the pump-side connector of the pump wire harness to the electrical connector of the fuel pump. Therefore, the connectivity of the earth terminal to the fuel pump can be improved.

[0009] The second means is a fuel supply device of the first means, wherein the direction in which the pump-side connector is fitted to the electrical connector and the direction in which the ground terminal is connected to the conductive member are the same.

[0010] According to the second method, the pump-side connector can be fitted to the electrical connector section, and at the same time, the ground terminal can be connected to the conductive member of the fuel pump.

[0011] The third means is a fuel supply device of the first means, wherein the conductive member is a pump housing that forms the outer casing of the fuel pump.

[0012] According to the third method, by connecting the ground terminal to the pump housing adjacent to the electrical connector, the pump-side connector equipped with the ground terminal can be miniaturized. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the technology disclosed herein, the connectivity of the ground terminal to the fuel pump can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a fuel supply device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a front view showing the fuel supply system. [Figure 3] This is a rear view showing the fuel supply system. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing a wire harness for a pump. [Figure 5] This is a front view showing the connection between the electrical connector of the fuel pump and the pump-side connector. [Figure 6] This is a left side view showing the connection between the fuel pump's electrical connector and the pump-side connector. [Figure 7] This is a bottom view showing the connection between the pump housing and the ground terminal of the pump-side connector. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view showing the fuel pump and pump-side connector disassembled. [Figure 9] This diagram shows the electrical connector section of the fuel pump. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the technology disclosed herein will be described with reference to the drawings. The fuel supply device according to this embodiment, when mounted in the vehicle's fuel tank, supplies fuel from the fuel tank to the vehicle's internal combustion engine, which is the engine. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fuel supply device, Figure 2 is a front view thereof, and Figure 3 is a rear view thereof. The directions in the figures indicate the front, rear, left, right, and up and down directions of the fuel supply device. The up and down direction corresponds to the direction of gravity, or so-called up and down direction, when the device is mounted in the vehicle's fuel tank. The front, rear, left, and right directions are not specified.

[0016] (Fuel tank overview) As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel tank 10 is a container with a hollow structure having an upper wall portion 11 and a bottom wall portion 12. An opening 11a in the shape of a circular hole is formed in the upper wall portion 11. The fuel tank 10 is made of resin, and stores, for example, gasoline as a liquid fuel. The fuel tank 10 is mounted on a vehicle such that the upper wall portion 11 and the bottom wall portion 12 are in a horizontal state.

[0017] (Overview of the fuel supply device 20) As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel supply device 20 includes a flange unit 22, a telescopic connection unit 30, and a pump unit 40. The flange unit 22 is fixed to the upper wall portion 11 so as to close the opening portion 11a of the fuel tank 10. The pump unit 40 is installed on the bottom wall portion 12 of the fuel tank 10 in a horizontal state. The telescopic connection unit 30 connects the flange unit 22 and the pump unit 40 so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction. In this specification, the flange unit 22 is also referred to as a "lid member".

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the flange unit 22 includes a flange body flange main body 23 and an evaporation fuel valve 29. The flange main body 23 is mainly formed by a circular plate-shaped cover plate portion 23a. A flange portion 23b protruding radially outward is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the cover plate portion 23a. An annular fitting cylinder portion 24 (see FIG. 2) is formed concentrically on the lower surface of the cover plate portion 23a. The flange main body 23 is made of polyoxymethylene (POM).

[0019] The cover plate portion 23a is provided with a fuel discharge port 26, an electric connector portion 27 for a pump, and an electric connector portion 28 for a gauge. The fuel discharge port 26 is formed in a straight tubular shape penetrating the cover plate portion 23a in the vertical direction. A predetermined number of metal terminals are arranged in both electric connector portions 27 and 28. An upper wiring clip 23c is provided on the lower surface of the cover plate portion 23a. A covered cylindrical valve housing portion is formed on the upper surface of the cover plate portion 23a. The valve housing portion 25 has an evaporation port 25a protruding radially outward.

[0020] The evaporative fuel valve 29 is installed with its upper half housed in the valve housing 25 of the flange body 23. As the evaporative fuel valve 29, for example, an integrated valve equipped with an evaporative fuel control valve and a full tank regulation valve is used. The evaporative fuel control valve closes when the internal pressure of the fuel tank 10 is less than a predetermined value and opens when the internal pressure exceeds the predetermined value. The full tank regulation valve opens when the fuel in the fuel tank 10 is not full and closes when it reaches full.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the telescopic connecting unit 30 comprises a housing member 32 and a joint member 34. The housing member 32 is made of resin and is formed in a rectangular tubular shape. The upper end of the housing member 32 is fixed to the lower surface of the cover plate portion 23a of the flange unit 22.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, the joint member 34 is made of resin and has a joint plate portion 34a and a support column portion 34c. The joint plate portion 34a is formed in a flat, thick plate shape in the front-rear direction. An engagement shaft hole 34b is formed in the lower part of the joint plate portion 34a, penetrating in the thickness direction of the plate.

[0023] The support column 34c is formed in a rectangular tube shape and is fitted into the housing member 32 so as to be slidable within a predetermined range. This connects the housing member 32 and the joint member 34 so as to be expandable and contractible in the vertical direction. A spring is interposed between the housing member 32 and the joint member 34 to bias both members 32 and 34 in opposite directions.

[0024] The pump unit 40 comprises a sub-tank 41, a sender gauge 45, and a fuel pump 60 (see Figure 2). The sub-tank 41 comprises a sub-tank body 42, a cover member 43, and a fuel filter 44. The sub-tank body 42 is made of resin and is formed in an inverted shallow box shape with an open bottom and elongated in the left-right direction.

[0025] An engagement shaft 42a is formed at a lower left position on the rear side of the sub-tank body 42. The engagement shaft 42a and the engagement shaft hole 34b of the joint member 34 are rotatably engaged. A restricting means is provided between the sub-tank body 42 and the joint plate portion 34a to restrict the range of rotation to a predetermined range. As a result, the pump unit 40 is rotatably connected to the joint member 34 in a horizontal state and an inclined state (see the dashed line 40 in Figure 3). A plate-shaped vertical wall portion 42b facing in the front-rear direction is provided on the upper right rear of the sub-tank body 42. An inlet hole 42c (see Figure 1) is formed on the upper surface of the sub-tank body 42.

[0026] The cover member 43 is made of resin and is formed in a shallow box shape with an open top and elongated in the left-right direction. The outer part of the cover member 43 is connected to the outer part of the sub-tank body 42 by engagement. The bottom plate portion of the cover member 43 has a plurality of hemispherical protrusions 43a that project downward. The bottom plate portion of the cover member 43 has a plurality of through holes.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, each projection 43a contacts the bottom wall 12 of the fuel tank 10, thereby creating a gap between the bottom plate portion of the cover member 43, i.e., between the bottom plate portion and the bottom wall portion 12. Fuel near the bottom wall portion 12 of the fuel tank 10 flows into the sub-tank 41 through the gap and through holes.

[0028] A fuel filter 44 is positioned between the cover member 43 and the sub-tank body 42. The fuel filter 44 has a flat, bag-shaped filter member that filters the fuel. A fuel storage space is formed by the upper surface of the fuel filter 44 and the sub-tank body 42. Fuel flowing in from the inlet hole 42c of the sub-tank body 42 is stored in the fuel storage space.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the sender gauge 45 comprises a gauge body 46, an arm 47, and a float 48. The gauge body 46 is mounted on the rear side of the vertical wall portion 42b of the sub-tank 41. The base end of the arm 47 is attached to a pivot portion 46a that is rotatable around a horizontal axis on the gauge body 46. The float 48 is attached to the free end of the arm 47. The sender gauge 45 detects the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 10.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, the gauge electrical connector section 28 of the flange unit 22 and the gauge body 46 (see Figure 3) are electrically connected via a gauge wire harness 49. The gauge wire harness 49 has three gauge wires 49a, a resin flange-side connector 49b with a terminal provided at one end, and a resin gauge-side connector 49c with a terminal provided at the other end. The flange-side connector 49b is mated and connected to the gauge electrical connector section 28, and the gauge-side connector 49c is mated and connected to the gauge body 46 (more specifically, the gauge connector section).

[0031] A hollow cylindrical pump case 50 is installed horizontally on the sub-tank body 42, extending in the left-right direction. A cylindrical fuel pump 60 is housed in the pump case 50. The fuel pump 60 is an electric fuel pump that draws fuel from the fuel tank 10 and discharges it to the relief valve case 54. The fuel intake port of the fuel pump 60 is connected to the connecting pipe of the fuel filter 44 via an intake-side member 52 that closes the right end face of the pump case 50. The connecting pipe is positioned to pass through the inlet hole 42c of the sub-tank body 42. The fuel discharge port of the fuel pump 60 is connected to the relief valve case 54 via a discharge-side member 53 that is connected to the left end of the pump case 50.

[0032] A relief valve is housed inside the relief valve case 54. The relief valve adjusts the pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 60 and discharges excess fuel. The excess fuel is discharged from the outlet 54a (see Figure 3) at the rear end of the relief valve case 54. A lower wiring clip 54b is provided at the upper end of the relief valve case 54. One end of a discharge fuel pipe 57, made of a flexible resin hose or the like, is connected to the relief valve case 54. The other end of the discharge fuel pipe 57 is connected to the fuel discharge port 26 of the flange body 23 of the flange unit 22.

[0033] The fuel pump 60 has an electrical connector section 70. The electrical connector section 70 and the pump electrical connector section 27 of the flange unit 22 are electrically connected to the pump electrical connector section 27 via a pump wire harness 80.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, the pump wire harness 80 includes four pump wires 81, a resin pump flange-side connector 82 with a terminal provided at one end, and a resin pump-side connector 83 with a terminal provided at the other end. The pump flange-side connector 82 is mated and connected to the pump electrical connector section 27, and the pump-side connector 83 is mated and connected to the electrical connector section 70 (see Figure 2).

[0035] Of the four pump wires 81, three are called the power supply pump wires 81a, and the remaining one is called the ground wire 81b. When the power supply pump wires 81a and the ground wire 81b are not distinguished, they are simply called the pump wires 81. The configuration of the electrical connector section 70 and the pump-side connector 83 will be described later.

[0036] As shown in Figure 1, each pump wire 81 is attached to the lower wiring clip 54b of the relief valve case 54, together with each gauge wire 49a of the gauge wire harness 49. In addition, the upper central part of each pump wire 81 of the pump wire harness 80 is attached to the upper wiring clip 23c of the flange body 23 of the flange unit 22.

[0037] The relief valve case 54 has a columnar guide portion 54c formed therein, located near the top of the electrical connector portion 70 of the fuel pump 60. The guide portion 54c prevents the pump wires 81 from being pinched between the rim of the opening 11a of the fuel tank 10 and the relief valve case 54 when inserting the fuel supply device 20 into the fuel tank 10.

[0038] When the fuel supply device 20 is installed on the fuel tank 10, the fuel supply device 20 is in an extended state. That is, the joint member 34 is suspended from the housing member 32 of the flange unit 22, and the pump unit 40 is suspended from the joint member 34. In addition, the pump unit 40 is inclined relative to the joint member 34 (see the dashed line 40 in Figure 3).

[0039] With the fuel supply device 20 in its extended state, the pump unit 40 is inserted from above the fuel tank 10 through the opening 11a. The pump unit 40 is then rotated horizontally relative to the joint member 34 and placed on the bottom wall 12 of the fuel tank 10 (see Figure 2).

[0040] Next, the flange unit 22 is pushed down against the biasing force of the spring of the telescopic connecting unit 30, and the fitting cylinder portion 24 of the flange body 23 is fitted into the opening 11a of the fuel tank 10 (see Figure 2). In this state, the flange portion 23b of the flange body 23 is fixed to the upper wall portion 11 of the fuel tank 10 via fixing means such as fixing brackets and bolts (not shown). In this way, the installation of the fuel supply device 20 to the fuel tank 10 is completed.

[0041] (Operation of fuel supply device 20) The fuel pump 60 is driven by external power. The fuel in the fuel tank 10 and / or the fuel in the fuel storage space of the sub-tank 41 are then drawn into the fuel pump 60 via the fuel filter 44 and pressurized. The pressurized fuel is then regulated by a relief valve and discharged to the outside through the fuel discharge port 26 of the flange unit 22 via the discharge fuel pipe 57, i.e., supplied to the engine.

[0042] (Electrical connector section 70 of fuel pump 60) Figure 9 shows the electrical connector section 70 of the fuel pump 60. As shown in Figure 9, the fuel pump 60 comprises a pump housing 61 and a motor cover 63. The pump housing 61 is made of conductive metal and is formed in a cylindrical shape. The motor section and the pump section are housed inside the pump housing 61. The pump housing 61 corresponds to the "conductive member" as defined herein.

[0043] The motor cover 63 is made of resin and has a thick, disc-shaped base 64 that closes the open end on the motor side. The base 64 is fitted into the pump housing 61 and fixed by crimping of the pump housing 61. The base 64 has a cylindrical fuel outlet 65 that protrudes to the left (towards the front of the paper in Figure 9) and connects the inside and outside of the motor section.

[0044] An electrical connector section 70 is provided on the base 64. The electrical connector section 70 comprises three connection terminals 71 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the front of the base 64, and a connector receiving section 73 surrounding the tips of the three connection terminals 71. The base end of each connection terminal 71 is electrically connected to each winding of the stator of the motor section.

[0045] The connector receiving portion 73 is formed as a hollow cylindrical section in an arc shape centered on the axis of the base portion 64. The internal space of the connector receiving portion 73 is divided into three receiving chambers 74 by two partition walls 73a. Each receiving chamber 74 is formed to surround each connection terminal 71. When the fuel pump 60 is housed in the pump case 50 (see Figures 1 and 2), the electrical connector portion 70 and a part of the pump housing 61 are exposed from the pump case 50.

[0046] (Pump-side connector 83 of the pump wire harness 80) Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the fuel pump 60 and the pump-side connector 83 in an exploded view. As shown in Figure 8, the pump-side connector 83 has a resin connector housing 84. The connector housing 84 has three mating portions 85 formed therein. Each mating portion 85 is axially shaped so that it can be mated into each receiving chamber 74 (see Figure 9) of the connector receiving portion 73 of the electrical connector portion 70 of the fuel pump 60. Each mating portion 85 is provided so that the terminals provided at the pump-side connector 83 end of each power supply pump wire 81a can be connected to each connection terminal 71 (see Figure 9) of the electrical connector portion 70.

[0047] The base end of each fitting portion 85 is integrally connected to an arc-shaped end plate portion 86 (see Figure 6). An engaging piece 87 having an engaging projection 87a is formed on the outer part between the upper fitting portion 85 and the middle fitting portion 85. An earth terminal holding portion 90 is formed on the outer part between the middle fitting portion 85 and the lower fitting portion 85. The earth terminal holding portion 90 has two L-shaped connecting portions 90a and a hollow rectangular plate-shaped support portion 90b that connects the tips of both connecting portions 90a. The base end of the connecting portion 90a is connected to the end plate portion 86 (see Figures 5-7).

[0048] As shown in Figure 7, the ground terminal 92 is supported by the support portion 90b. The ground terminal 92 is formed in the shape of a strip extending in the left-right direction and facing in the front-back direction. The tip portion 92a of the ground terminal 92 is tapered (see Figure 5). The tip of the tip portion 92a is bent outward (forward). The central portion of the ground terminal 92 is bent in a corrugated shape and is press-fitted into the hollow portion of the support portion 90b using elasticity. The ground terminal 92 has a locking claw 92c that is bent outward and contacts the tip surface of the support portion 90b. An earth wire 81b is connected to the base portion 92b of the ground terminal 92.

[0049] A rod-shaped projection 90c is provided on the tip surface of the support portion 90b, projecting toward the front (right). A tapered protrusion 90d is formed on the tip of the projection 90c, projecting toward the opposite side from the earth terminal 92. When attaching the pump-side connector 83 to the fuel pump 60, the protrusion 90d of the projection 90c slides into contact with the outer surface of the outer wall of the connector receiving portion 73 of the electrical connector portion 70, preventing the earth terminal 92 from contacting the connector receiving portion 73.

[0050] (Connection of the pump-side connector 83 to the electrical connector portion 70 of the fuel pump 60) As shown in Figure 6, each mating portion 85 of the pump-side connector 83 is mated and connected to each receiving chamber 74 (see Figure 9) of the connector receiving portion 73 of the electrical connector portion 70. This electrically connects each connection terminal 71 of the electrical connector portion 70 to the terminals of each mating portion 85. Consequently, the tip 92a of the ground terminal 92 of the pump-side connector 83 elastically contacts the outer surface of the pump housing 61 (see Figures 5 and 7). This electrically connects the pump housing 61 to the ground terminal 92.

[0051] Furthermore, the engaging projection 87a of the engaging piece 87 of the pump-side connector 83 engages elastically with the engaging hole 73b (see Figure 8) formed in the connector receiving portion 73 of the electrical connector portion 70. This prevents the pump-side connector 83 from coming loose from the connector receiving portion 73. If a non-conductive layer is formed on the outer surface of the pump housing 61, the conductive member is exposed beforehand by scraping off the non-conductive layer in the portion corresponding to the tip 92a of the ground terminal 92.

[0052] (Effects and workings of this embodiment) According to this embodiment, by providing an earth terminal 92 on the pump-side connector 83, the earth terminal 92 can be connected to the pump housing 61 of the fuel pump 60 at a position close to the connection point of the pump-side connector 83 of the pump wire harness 80 to the electrical connector portion 70 of the fuel pump 60. Therefore, the connectivity of the earth terminal 92 to the fuel pump 60 can be improved.

[0053] Furthermore, the direction in which the pump-side connector 83 is fitted to the electrical connector section 70 and the direction in which the ground terminal 92 is connected to the pump housing 61 are the same. Therefore, when the pump-side connector 83 is fitted to the electrical connector section 70, the ground terminal 92 can be connected to the pump housing 61 of the fuel pump 60 at the same time.

[0054] Furthermore, the pump housing 61 is the pump housing 61 that forms the outer casing of the fuel pump 60. Therefore, by connecting the ground terminal 92 to the pump housing 61 adjacent to the electrical connector section 70, the pump-side connector 83 equipped with the ground terminal 92 can be miniaturized.

[0055] [Other embodiments] The technologies disclosed herein are not limited to the embodiments described above and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, the direction in which the ground terminal 92 is connected to the pump housing 61 may be different from the direction in which the pump-side connector 83 is mated to the electrical connector portion 70. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0056] 10 fuel tanks 20 Fuel supply device 60 Fuel pump 61 Pump housing (conductive component) 70 Electrical connector section 80 Pump Wire Harness 83 Pump-side connector 92 Ground terminal

Claims

1. A fuel pump that sucks fuel from the fuel tank and discharges it to the outside and has an electrical connector, A pump wire harness having a pump-side connector that is mated and connected to the aforementioned electrical connector portion, A fuel supply device comprising, A fuel supply device comprising a pump-side connector equipped with an earth terminal that contacts the conductive member of the fuel pump.

2. A fuel supply device according to claim 1, A fuel supply device in which the fitting direction of the pump-side connector to the electrical connector portion and the connection direction of the ground terminal to the conductive member are the same.

3. A fuel supply device according to claim 1, The conductive member is a pump housing that forms the outer casing of the fuel pump, in a fuel supply device.

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