Canister

Abstract

To provide a canister that can facilitate drainage of the fastening portion when it is exposed to water. [Solution] One embodiment is a canister (10) comprising a case (12) for housing an adsorbent and mounting plates (20, 22) extending from the outer wall surface (17) of the case (12), wherein the mounting plates (20, 22) have fastening portions (24) for attachment to a vehicle and at least one drain hole (30) provided between the case (12) and the fastening portion (24), and the mounting plates (20, 22) are at least partially inclined so as to be lower from the fastening portion (24) toward the at least one drain hole (30).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in the present application relates to a canister.

Background Art

[0002] Vehicles such as automobiles equipped with an engine are usually equipped with a canister that collects evaporated fuel generated from a fuel tank. As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-161892, the canister is attached to a vehicle body frame via, for example, a bracket.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The canister in the above publication does not have a structure that actively drains water when the attachment part to the vehicle body is flooded, so fasteners and the like may be corroded by the stagnant water. For this reason, it is desirable to provide a canister that can promote drainage of the fastening part when flooded.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present technology is a canister including a case that houses an adsorbent, and a mounting plate that extends from an outer wall surface of the case, the mounting plate having a fastening part for attachment to a vehicle, and at least one drain hole provided between the case and the fastening part, and the mounting plate being at least partially inclined so as to be lower from the fastening part toward the at least one drain hole.

[0006] As a result, even if the mounting plate is submerged in water, the water on the upper surface is guided towards the drainage holes, and the water adhering to the lower surface also flows away from the fastening point. Vibrations during vehicle operation promote this flow. Therefore, for example, if bolts are used in the fastening point, corrosion of the bolts due to water accumulation in the fastening point can be suppressed.

[0007] In some embodiments, the upper surface of the mounting plate has a curved surface that extends downward from the outer wall surface of the case toward the at least one drain hole.

[0008] As a result, water that runs down the outer wall of the case is guided to the drainage holes without accumulating along the wall. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a front view showing a canister having a mounting plate as one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged plan view of the canister mounting plate shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting plate along line III-III. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Various embodiments of this technology will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [Canister] Figure 1 shows a canister 10, as one embodiment, which is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile equipped with an engine and collects evaporated fuel (vapor) generated from a fuel tank (not shown). Fuel in the fuel tank is pumped out by a fuel pump and supplied to the engine through a supply passage. Meanwhile, the fuel tank is connected to a vent passage that leads to the atmosphere to mitigate pressure fluctuations that occur when the vehicle is parked. The canister 10 is installed in the middle of this vent passage and collects fuel molecules by adsorbing them with an adsorbent material such as activated carbon so that evaporated fuel is not released into the atmosphere when the pressure in the fuel tank increases.

[0012] The canister 10 has a case 12 that houses the adsorbent. The case 12 can be composed of, for example, a case body 13 and a lid member 14. The case 12 of the canister 10 is provided with a tank port 15 to which a vapor passage communicating with a fuel tank is connected. The case 12 is also provided with an atmospheric port 16 to which an atmospheric passage communicating with the atmosphere is connected. Typically, the case 12 is further provided with a purge port that is connected to the engine's intake manifold via a purge passage. A fluid passage is formed inside the case 12, and multiple adsorption layers, each consisting of an aggregate of an adsorbent such as activated carbon, are arranged in this fluid passage.

[0013] [Mounting plate] The canister 10 can be attached, for example, to frame members such as side members or cross members that constitute the lower structure of the vehicle body. The canister 10 has at least one mounting plate 20, 22 (two shown in the figure) extending laterally from the outer wall surface of the case 12, and is attached to the vehicle via these mounting plates 20, 22. In one embodiment, it can extend laterally from the side wall surface 17 of the case 12 (specifically, the outer wall surface of the lid member 14). In another embodiment, the mounting plate can be provided on some other outer wall surface that does not directly constitute the side wall of the case 12. In one embodiment, the canister 10 can be mounted in a "lateral" orientation as shown in the figure, where the fluid flow inside the case 12 is generally horizontal, but in another embodiment, it can be mounted in a different orientation. The following describes the mounting plate 22 extending from the side wall surface 17 of the lid member 14 of the case 12, but a mounting plate 20 extending from the case body 13 can be configured similarly.

[0014] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a generally vertical reinforcing plate 18 can be provided between the mounting plate 22 and the side wall surface 17. The mounting plate 22 has fastening parts, such as through holes 24 for passing bolts. A metal collar 26, such as brass, is fitted into the through holes 24 by methods such as insert molding or press-fitting. The collar 26 is tightened between the bolt head and nut. The mounting plate 22 can be provided with support parts 28 that protrude downward or upward around the through holes 24. The canister 10 can be attached directly to the frame member of the vehicle body, or it can be attached via a bracket.

[0015] [Drainage hole] The mounting plate 22 has at least one (two shown in the figure) through-hole 30. The drainage hole 30 is located between the side wall surface 17 of the case 12 and the insertion hole 24. The drainage hole 30 can be any shape, such as circular or square. In a specific embodiment, the drainage hole 30 can be, for example, circular with a diameter of 5 millimeters or more. Even if it is not circular, the drainage hole can be sized to have an area of, for example, a circle with a diameter of 5 millimeters or more.

[0016] [Tilt of mounting plate] As shown in Figure 3, the mounting plate 22 is slightly inclined from the horizontal plane H, at least partially, so that both the upper surface 22a and the lower surface 22b become lower from the through hole 24 towards the drain hole 30. This ensures that even if the mounting plate 22 is submerged in water, the water on the upper surface 22a is guided towards the drain hole 30, and the water adhering to the lower surface 22b flows away from the through hole 24. Vibrations during vehicle operation promote this flow. Therefore, for example, if bolts are used for fastening, corrosion of the bolts due to water accumulation around the through hole 24 can be suppressed. Various specific inclination directions for the mounting plate 22 are possible. For example, it can be uniformly inclined from the through hole 24 towards the side wall surface 17 of the case 12. Alternatively, inclined surfaces can be provided that lead from the through hole 24 towards each of the two drain holes 30.

[0017] The upper surface 22a of the mounting plate 22 has a concave curved surface 22c that extends downward from the side wall surface 17 of the case 12 toward the drain hole 30. As a result, the water that falls along the side wall surface 17 of the case 12 is also guided to the drain hole 30 by the curved surface 22c without staying at the edge of the case 12.

[0018] As described above, specific embodiments have been explained. However, the present technology is not limited to these embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make various substitutions, improvements, and changes without departing from the purpose of the present technology.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0019] 10 Canister 12 Case 13 Case body 14 Lid member 15 Tank port 16 Atmosphere port 17 Side wall surface 18 Reinforcement plate 20, 22 Mounting plate 22a Upper surface 22b Lower surface 22c Concave curved surface 24 Insertion hole 26 Collar 28 Support portion 30 Drain hole H Horizontal plane

Claims

1. It's a canister, A case for housing the adsorbent, The case comprises a mounting plate extending from the outer wall surface of the case, The mounting plate has a fastening portion for attaching it to a vehicle and at least one drainage hole provided between the case and the fastening portion. The mounting plate of the canister is at least partially inclined so as to be lower from the fastening portion toward the at least one drain hole.

2. A canister according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the mounting plate has a curved surface that extends downward from the outer wall surface of the case toward the at least one drain hole.

Images