fuel supply unit

Abstract

To provide a fuel supply device that suppresses damage to the harness inside the housing. [Solution] A fuel supply device 10 having a fuel storage tank 20a disposed in the middle of a fuel supply path formed between a main fuel tank and an engine and also functioning as a reservoir tank, comprising: a housing 20 having the fuel storage tank 20a inside it; a fuel pump 30 disposed inside the housing 20 for pressurizing the fuel in the fuel storage tank 20a; a vapor discharge unit for discharging vapor from the fuel storage tank 20a to the outside of the housing 20; and a plurality of harnesses 70 extending from the fuel pump 30 and connected to external connection terminals installed on the inner surface of the housing 20, further comprising harness binding members 80 that are attached from the outside to at least a few of the plurality of harnesses 70 inside the housing 20 and bound together.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel supply device that is disposed midway in a fuel supply path formed between a main fuel tank and an engine, has a fuel reservoir that also functions as a reservoir tank, and particularly relates to a fuel supply device for an outboard motor.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a fuel supply device (VST, vapor separator tank) that is disposed midway in a fuel supply path formed between a main fuel tank and an engine and has a fuel reservoir that also functions as a reservoir tank, there is known a device including a housing having the fuel reservoir therein, a fuel pump arranged in the housing for pressure-feeding fuel in the fuel reservoir, and a vapor discharge part for discharging vapor in the fuel reservoir to the outside of the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the fuel supply device described in such Patent Document 1, a plurality of harnesses extending from the fuel pump and connected to external connection terminals installed on the inner surface side of the housing are provided for power supply and signal communication, but it has been found that there is room for improvement with respect to damage to these harnesses.

[0005] Accordingly, the present invention is made to solve these problems, and an object thereof is to provide a fuel supply device that suppresses damage to harnesses in a housing with a simple configuration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention solves the aforementioned problem by providing a fuel supply device having a fuel storage tank disposed in the middle of a fuel supply passage formed between a main fuel tank and an engine, and which also functions as a reservoir tank, comprising: a housing having the fuel storage tank inside it; a fuel pump disposed within the housing for pressurizing the fuel in the fuel storage tank; a vapor discharge unit for discharging vapor from the fuel storage tank to the outside of the housing; and a plurality of harnesses extending from the fuel pump and connected to external connection terminals installed on the inner surface of the housing, and further comprising harness binding members that are attached from the outside to at least a few of the plurality of harnesses within the housing for binding. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This invention allows for a simple configuration that can suppress damage to the harness within the housing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A perspective view showing a fuel supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing the internal structure of the housing. [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram showing the vicinity of the harness without the harness fastening components attached. [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram showing the vicinity of the wiring harness with the fuel pump removed and the harness binding members not attached. [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram showing a harness with the harness fastening components attached. [Figure 6] An explanatory diagram showing a harness with the harness fastening components attached. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Below, a fuel supply device 10, which is one embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] First, in this embodiment, the fuel supply device 10 is configured as a fuel supply device (VST, vapor separator tank) for an outboard motor, and is located in the middle of a fuel supply passage formed between a main fuel tank (not shown) installed on the hull of a vessel such as a motorboat and the engine (not shown) of the outboard motor. It has a fuel storage tank 20a that also functions as a reservoir tank for storing fuel from the main fuel tank and supplying it to the engine.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the fuel supply device 10 includes a housing 20 having a fuel storage tank 20a inside it, an electric fuel pump 30 located inside the housing 20 for pumping fuel from the fuel storage tank 20a, a vapor discharge section 25 for discharging vapor from the fuel storage tank 20a to the outside of the housing 20, a regulator 40 for adjusting the fuel pumped by the fuel pump 30 to a predetermined pressure and returning excess fuel to the fuel storage tank 20a, a regulator holding member 50 that supports the regulator 40 above the fuel storage tank 20a, a fuel storage amount adjustment means 60 for maintaining the liquid level of the fuel stored in the fuel storage tank 20a at a constant level, a plurality of harnesses 70 extending from the fuel pump 30 and connected to external connection terminals (not shown) installed on the inner surface of the housing 20, and a harness binding member 80 for bundling the harnesses 70.

[0012] The specific configurations of each component of the fuel supply device 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] First, the housing 20 is made of synthetic resin or the like, and as shown in Figure 1, it has a housing body 21 and a lid 22 that is attached to the housing body 21 so as to airtightly seal the opening of the housing body 21.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the upper surface of the lid 22 is provided with a fuel introduction pipe 23 for introducing fuel into the fuel storage tank 20a, a fuel discharge pipe 24 for discharging fuel from the fuel storage tank 20a, and an atmospheric communication pipe 25 that connects the inside and outside of the housing 20. The atmosphere communication pipe 25 functions as a vapor discharge portion 25 for discharging vapor (evaporated fuel) and air generated in the fuel storage tank 20a to the outside of the housing 20.

[0015] The fuel storage amount adjusting means 60 is configured to maintain the liquid level of the fuel stored in the fuel storage tank 20a at a constant level while opening and closing a valve on the base end side of a valve lever (not shown) having a float 61 in a cantilever manner on the distal end side.

[0016] Each harness 70 is for connecting the fuel pump 30 to a connection target outside the housing 20 (specifically, an electronic device such as a battery) for power supply and signal communication. In the present embodiment, one end thereof is connected to the fuel pump 30, and the other end has a harness terminal 71 connected to an external connection terminal (not shown) provided on the inner surface side of the housing 20 (the lid body 22). The harness 70 is connected to the connection target outside the housing 20 by being connected to this external connection terminal.

[0017] The harness bundling member 80 is formed of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber, and as shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, is attached from the outside of the harnesses 70 to at least several of the plurality of harnesses 70 (two in the present embodiment) inside the housing 20 to bundle these harnesses 70. As shown in Fig. 5, the harness bundling member 80 has a plurality of harness insertion holes 81 through which the respective harnesses 70 are independently inserted. In the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the harness bundling members 80 are attached to the harnesses 70 at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the harnesses 70. As shown in Fig. 5, each harness bundling member 80 has a groove portion 82 recessed on the outer surface thereof. This groove portion 82 is fitted into a part of the housing 20 (in the present embodiment, the lid body 22) in a state where the harness 70 is disposed inside the housing 20, whereby the movement of the harness 70 is restricted.

[0018] In the fuel supply device 10 of the present embodiment obtained in this way, a harness bundling member 80 is provided, which is attached from the outside to at least several of the plurality of harnesses 70 inside the housing 20 to bundle them. Thereby, even when the fuel supply device 10 is installed in an environment where it is subject to shaking, when the harnesses 70 are swung, the harness bundling member 80 can collide with peripheral parts such as the inner wall of the housing 20 before the harnesses 70 do, and collision between the harnesses 70 can be suppressed, so damage to the harnesses 70 can be suppressed.

[0019] Furthermore, since the harness bundling member 80 has a plurality of harness insertion holes 81 through which each harness 70 is individually inserted, it is possible to prevent the harnesses 70 from rubbing against each other at the bundled position, so damage to the harnesses 70 can be further suppressed.

[0020] Furthermore, the harness bundling member 80 is disposed in a state where a groove portion 82 recessed in its outer surface is fitted into a part of the housing 20, so that the movement of the harnesses 70 inside the housing 20 is restricted to suppress damage to the harnesses 70, the connection state of the harnesses 70 to the external connection terminals provided on the inner surface side of the lid 22 can be favorably maintained, and during assembly of the fuel supply device 10, the harness bundling member 80 attached to the harnesses 70 is mounted to the housing 20 (the lid 22 in the present embodiment), whereby handling of the housing 20 (the lid 22 in the present embodiment) and the harnesses 70 can be facilitated.

[0021] Furthermore, the harness bundling member 80 is attached to the harnesses 70 at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the harnesses 70, whereby damage to the harnesses 70 can be suppressed over the longitudinal direction of the harnesses 70.

[0022] Furthermore, because the harness binding member 80 is formed from an elastic material, damage to the harness binding member 80 itself, the harness 70, and the surrounding area of ​​the harness 70 can be suppressed. In addition, when the harness binding member 80 is attached to the housing 20 (in this embodiment, the lid 22), the mounting state of the harness binding member 80 to the housing 20 (in this embodiment, the lid 22) can be stabilized.

[0023] Furthermore, if the fuel supply device 10 is configured as a fuel supply device for an outboard motor, the fuel supply device 10 will be installed in an environment that experiences significant shaking during the operation of the vessel, so the effect of the harness binding member 80 in suppressing damage to the harness 70 will become even more pronounced.

[0024] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as described in the claims, such as arbitrarily combining the configurations of the above or below embodiments or modified examples to configure the fuel supply device 10.

[0025] For example, in the embodiment described above, multiple harness insertion holes 81 were formed so that each harness 70 could be inserted independently. However, the harness insertion holes 81 may be formed so that multiple harnesses 70 can be inserted together, rather than just a single harness 70. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0026] 10...Fuel supply device 20 ··· Housing 20a ··· Fuel storage tank 21 ··· Housing body 22 ··· Lid 23 ··· Fuel Inlet Pipe 24 ··· Fuel discharge pipe 25. Atmospheric communication pipe (vapor discharge section) 30 ··· Fuel pump 40 ··· Regulator 50 ··· Regulator retaining member 60 ··· Fuel storage volume adjustment means 61 ··· Float 70 ··· Harness 71 ··· Harness terminal 80 ··· Harness fastening components 81 ··· Harness insertion hole 82... Groove

Claims

1. A fuel supply system having a fuel storage tank that is located in the middle of a fuel supply passage formed between the main fuel tank and the engine and also functions as a reservoir tank, The device comprises a housing having the fuel storage tank inside it, a fuel pump disposed within the housing for pumping fuel from the fuel storage tank, a vapor discharge unit for discharging vapor from the fuel storage tank to the outside of the housing, and a plurality of harnesses extending from the fuel pump and connected to external connection terminals installed on the inner surface of the housing. A fuel supply device further comprising harness binding members that are attached to and bound from the outside to at least a few of the plurality of harnesses within the housing.

2. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness binding member has a plurality of harness insertion holes through which each of the harnesses is inserted independently.

3. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness binding member is arranged with a groove recessed on its outer surface fitted into a part of the housing.

4. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness binding member is attached to the harness at multiple locations spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the harness.

5. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness binding member is formed from an elastic material.

6. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is configured as a fuel supply device for an outboard motor.

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