Canister

Abstract

To form a cap into a simple constitution by forming a drain port formed at the cap, and a fitting hole for attaching the cap to a case into hole shapes at one point, and to improve the manufacturing performance of the cap.SOLUTION: A canister 10 comprises a case which forms an accommodation chamber for accommodating an adsorption material, an ambient port formed at the case, and a cap 14 for covering the ambient port. Then, in the canister, a claw part 36 for locking and fixing the cap 14 is arranged at an outer face of the case, and a hole part 30 is formed at a position corresponding to the claw part 36 of the case of the cap 14. The hole part 30 comprises an engagement region K engaged with the claw part 36, and comprises a drain port region H which forms a drain port 38 for discharging a water component in the canister 14. When viewing a lock / fixing state of the cap 14 to the case in a vertical direction, the drain port region H is located above the engagement region K.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a canister, and more particularly to a canister provided in an evaporated fuel processing device that processes evaporated fuel in a fuel tank of a vehicle such as an automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] A canister is installed in a vehicle such as an automobile as a fuel vapor processing device for processing fuel vapor generated in a fuel tank. The position where the canister is installed is a position where it is covered with water when the vehicle is driven in a flooded state. Therefore, in order to prevent water from entering through the atmospheric port of the canister, a cap is placed over the location where the atmospheric port is installed on the canister case (see Patent Document 1 below).

[0003] However, the cap that covers the atmospheric port is provided with an air vent to allow ventilation between the atmospheric port and the outside air. Therefore, it is difficult to completely prevent water from entering the cap when the vehicle is running in a flooded condition, so a drain hole is provided at the bottom of the cap to drain the water that has entered the cap. Conventionally, the drain hole has generally been located at a flat position on the top surface of the case.

[0004] In order to attach the cap to the canister case, a separate fitting hole is provided in the cap. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-123830 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Generally, in the past, the fitting hole for attaching the cap to the case and the drain hole for draining water that has entered the cap were provided in different positions on the cap, which required the cap to have two holes, making the structure complicated and making it difficult to manufacture.

[0007] In addition, the location of the drain hole in the cap, i.e., the flat location on the top surface of the case, causes a problem that water accumulates on the top surface of the case. In particular, the canister case is usually made of resin. Therefore, if the drainage water contains calcium chloride, which is sprayed to deal with freezing and snow accumulation, the deterioration of the resin case may be accelerated.

[0008] The main problem that the technology disclosed in this specification aims to solve was devised in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and is to simplify the structure of the cap and improve the manufacturability of the cap by making the drain outlet formed in the cap and the mating hole for attaching the cap to the case into a single hole shape.

[0009] A secondary objective is to ensure smooth drainage by locating the drain hole formed in the cap at a position that is continuous with the side wall surface of the case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the canister disclosed in this specification takes the following measures.

[0011] The first means is a canister comprising a case forming a storage chamber for storing an adsorbent, an atmospheric port formed in the case, and a cap covering the atmospheric port, wherein a claw portion for engaging and fixing the cap is provided on the outer wall surface of the case, and a hole portion is provided in the cap at a position corresponding to the claw portion of the case, and the hole portion is configured to have an engagement region for engaging with the claw portion and a drain area forming a drain for discharging water inside the cap, and when viewed in the vertical direction when the cap is engaged and fixed to the case, the drain area is located above the engagement area.

[0012] According to the first aspect, an engagement area that engages with the claws of the case and a drain area that forms a drain for discharging water from inside the cap are simultaneously formed in the hole formed in the cap. This allows the cap to have a simple configuration and improves the manufacturability of the cap. In other words, by forming the drain and the fitting hole for attaching the cap to the case into a single hole shape, the cap can be simplified and manufacturability can be improved.

[0013] The second means is a canister of the first means described above, wherein the hole formed in the cap is formed in a position facing the side wall surface of the case, and the drainage from the drain outlet area flows directly down to the side wall surface of the case.

[0014] According to the second aspect, the hole where the drain is formed faces the side wall of the case. This allows the drainage water from the drain area to flow directly down the side wall of the case and is smoothly drained without accumulating on the outer surface of the case. In other words, the drainage water does not accumulate on the flat top surface of the case as in the conventional case, and deterioration of the cap can be prevented.

[0015] The third means is a canister according to the first or second means described above, wherein the upper part of the case of the canister has a convex shape with a side wall surface that is slightly reduced in size, an atmospheric port is set on the upper surface of the convex shape, and a drain outlet is formed by the side wall surface that forms the convex shape and the drain outlet area of ​​the hole formed in the cap.

[0016] According to the third aspect, the upper part of the canister case has a slightly reduced side wall shape in a convex shape, which allows the claws to be formed in the convex side wall area to engage the cap and the canister, and also allows the drain hole to be formed in that area.

[0017] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a canister according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein the inclined shape of the upper surface of the claw portion through which water flows is formed from the position of the upper surface of the convex shape.

[0018] According to the fourth aspect, the inclined shape of the claw is formed from the position of the upper surface of the convex shape. This allows water to drain smoothly because it flows from the upper surface of the convex shape directly to the upper surface of the claw.

[0019] The fifth means is a canister described in the third or fourth means described above, in which the shape of the upper surface of the claw portion is an R-shaped or C-shaped inclined shape sloping downward, and the size of the drain outlet in the drain outlet area formed by the inclined shape is set so that the force with which the water drained from the drain outlet slides down due to gravity is greater than the surface tension generated at the drain outlet.

[0020] According to the fifth aspect, the size of the drainage opening formed in the inclined shape of the claw portion is set so that the force of the water sliding down due to gravity is greater than the surface tension generated at the drainage opening, thereby preventing water from accumulating at the drainage opening and improving drainage efficiency. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the canister disclosed in this specification, the drain outlet formed in the cap and the mating hole for attaching the cap to the case are formed into a single hole shape, which allows the cap to have a simple configuration and improves the manufacturability of the cap.

[0022] Furthermore, by locating the drain hole formed in the cap at a position adjacent to the side wall surface of the case, drainage can be performed satisfactorily. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an upper portion of the canister of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a protective protector and a cap covering an atmospheric port are removed from the canister in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cap alone, showing a hole portion in which a drainage port area and an engagement area are formed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cap alone, as viewed from the side on which the ventilation hole is formed. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a hole portion in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a claw portion formed on a convex side wall surface of an upper portion of the canister; FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the claw portion formed on the side wall surface of the convex portion; [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating how water falls on the canister when the canister is placed on the dashboard, showing a state in which water falls on the canister from below. [Figure 9] 9 is a diagram similar to FIG. 8, illustrating how water falls on the canister when it is placed on the dashboard, and shows a state in which water falls on the canister from above. [Figure 10] 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional shape of a claw portion formed on a side surface of a convex portion, the cross-sectional shape being an R-shape. [Figure 11]13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional shape of a claw portion formed on a side surface of a convex portion, the cross-sectional shape being a C-shape. [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between surface tension and gravity when water is drained through a drain outlet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the canister 10, which is a technology disclosed in this specification, will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that directional indications such as left / right, up / down, etc. in the description of this specification indicate directions in the illustrated state, and do not indicate directions in the state in which the canister 10 is mounted on a vehicle, etc., unless otherwise specified.

[0025] (Overall configuration of canister 10) Fig. 1 shows the overall structure of a canister 10 according to this embodiment, and is a perspective view showing the appearance of the upper portion of the canister 10. The canister 10 shown in Fig. 1 includes a case 12, a cap 14, a purge port 16, and a protector 18. The protector 18 is disposed in the upper portion of the canister 10, and is attached to the upper portion of the case 12 of the canister 10. The protector 18 serves to protect the canister 10 from external forces. In particular, the protector 18 is disposed to protect the cylindrical attachment portion 20 of the cap 14 and the purge port 16. The protector 18 is attached to the case 12 by a plurality of snap-action attachment means 44 set at the upper portion of the case 12.

[0026] (Canister 10, Case 12) Fig. 2 is an external view showing the entire case 12 of the canister 10 with the protector 18 and cap 14 removed from Fig. 1. A chamber for accommodating the adsorbent 22 is formed inside the case 12 of the canister 10. The adsorbent 22 is accommodated in the chamber of the canister 10 and adsorbs and desorbs evaporated fuel from a fuel tank (not shown). An atmospheric port 24 and a purge port 16 are provided in the upper part of the case 12. A plurality of rod members 46 are provided around the atmospheric port 24.

[0027] As seen in Fig. 2, a cylindrical mounting portion 20 for setting the purge port 16 is formed at the upper right position. As seen in Fig. 2, a convex shape 26 for setting the atmospheric port 24 is formed at the upper left position. The convex shape 26 is formed by slightly reducing the side wall shape 12A at the upper left position of the case 12 and protruding upward. Therefore, a step shape 28 is formed between the side wall surface 26A of the convex shape 26 and the side wall surface 12A of the case 12 of the canister 10, forming the upper surface 12B of the case 12. Note that a gap is provided between the cylindrical mounting portion 20 for setting the purge port 16 and the convex shape 26 for setting the atmospheric port 24, allowing the cap 14 to be disposed therein, which will be described later, and forms the upper surface 12B of the case 12.

[0028] (Cap 14) FIG. 3 is an external view of the cap 14 covering the atmospheric port 24. As shown in FIG. 3, the planar cross-sectional shape of the cap 14 is formed to fit into the convex shape 26 formed on the upper part of the case 12 described above. As seen in FIG. 3, the cap 14 is formed as an ellipse in the left-right direction. Therefore, the convex shape 26 described above is also formed as an ellipse of a corresponding shape. Then, holes 30, which will be described in detail later, are provided at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the ellipse shape of the cap 14. Note that, as seen in FIG. 3, the outer shape of the step shape 32 on the upper right side is shaped to avoid an overlapping arrangement in relation to an adjacent device (not shown) where the canister 10 is disposed.

[0029] FIG. 4 also shows the cap 14 covering the atmospheric port 24, but is an external view seen from the opposite side of FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, an intake port 34 is formed on the side of the cap 14 on the purge port 16 side. The intake port 34 serves to communicate between the inside of the cap 14 and the outside air, and also serves to communicate between the atmospheric port 24 and the outside air. In this embodiment, the intake port 34 is formed in only one place. The intake port 34 is located at a position where splashed water is unlikely to enter, based on the way water splashes on the canister 10 during driving as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 described later. In other words, it is located at a rear position in the traveling direction.

[0030] (hole 30) FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the hole 30 formed in the cap 14, which is a feature of this embodiment. As clearly shown in FIG. 5, the hole 30 has a claw portion 36 formed on the side wall surface 26A of the convex shape 26 of the case 12 corresponding to the hole 30. The hole 30 is composed of an engagement area K where the claw portion 36 is located, and a drainage outlet area H that serves as a drainage outlet 38 through which water that has entered the cap 14 is drained. The drainage outlet 38 drains water from within the cap 14. The engagement area K and the drainage outlet area H are formed as a single hole shape, and this configuration is a feature of this embodiment. In FIG. 5, the drainage outlet area H is located above the engagement area K. That is, when viewed from the top-to-bottom direction in a state in which the cap 14, which will be described later, is engaged and fixed to the case 12, the drainage outlet area H is located above the engagement area K.

[0031] In this embodiment, the hole 30 is formed in a pot-shaped configuration with the upper part rounded upward. A locking strip member 40 that engages with a claw portion 36 (described later) is integrally formed with the cap 14 below the hole 30.

[0032] (Claw part 36) FIG. 6 shows the claw portion 36 provided on the outer surface of the cap 14, i.e., the side wall surface 26A of the convex shape 26. In this embodiment, the claw portion 36 is set at a lower position of the side wall surface 26A of the convex shape 26 as seen in FIG. 6. The claw portion 36 is configured to be engaged and locked with a locking strip member 40 formed on the lower edge of the hole portion 30 of the cap 14 by snap action, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5. For this reason, the claw portion 36 has a claw projection 36A formed to protrude outward from the side wall surface 26A of the convex shape 26. The lower surface 36B of the claw projection 36A is engaged with the locking strip member 40 described above, and is configured to be locked in the direction in which the cap 14 is removed. As a result, the cap 14 is locked and fixed to the case 12.

[0033] The upper surface 36C of the claw portion 36 is formed in an inclined shape so that water inside the cap is drained from the drain outlet 38 in the drain outlet area H. The inclined shape of the upper surface 36C of the claw portion 36 is R-shaped or C-shaped as shown in the schematic cross-sectional views of Figures 10 and 11. Figure 10 shows the case of the R-shaped shape, and Figure 11 shows the case of the C-shaped shape.

[0034] (Modification of the Setting Position of the Claw Part 36) 7 shows a modified example of the position where the claw portion 36 is set on the side wall surface 26A of the convex shape 26. The previously described position of the claw portion 36 was a lower position of the side wall surface 26A, but in the modified example of FIG. 7, the claw portion 36 is formed at an upper position of the side wall surface 26A. As a result, the inclined shape of the upper surface 36C of the claw portion 36 is formed as a shape that continues from the position of the upper surface portion 26B of the convex shape 26 in the modified example of FIG. 7. As a result, water that has entered the cap 14 flows directly from the drainage port 38 to the inclined shape of the upper surface 36C of the claw portion 36, allowing smooth drainage.

[0035] (Arrangement of the canister 42) 8 and 9 show the arrangement of the canister 10 on the dashboard 42, and thereby show how water falls on the canister 10 when it is mounted on the vehicle. The arrangement of the canister 10 on the dashboard 42 is such that the canister 10 is located at the front of the dashboard 42. Therefore, water falls on the canister 10 while the vehicle is running, from the lower left toward the top as shown by arrow W1 in Fig. 8, and the water splashed upward falls on the canister 10 from above as shown by arrow W2 in Fig. 9.

[0036] Because of the above-mentioned manner in which water gets on the canister 10, the protector 18 is disposed at a front position of the canister 10. The air intake port 34 formed in the cap 14 is formed facing the cylindrical mounting portion 20 of the purge port 16.

[0037] 12 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between surface tension and gravity when water that has entered the cap is drained from a drain in the drain area of ​​the hole. This diagram is for the shape of the claw portion 36 in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, the relationship between surface tension θ and gravity G when water is drained from the drain 38 is such that the size of the drain 38 in the drain area H formed by the inclined shape is set so that the force with which the water drained from the drain 38 slides down due to gravity G is greater than the surface tension θ generated at the drain 38. This ensures that water that has entered the cap 14 is drained from the drain 38.

[0038] (Effects of this embodiment) According to the present embodiment described above, the hole 30 forming the drain area H and the engagement area K is formed as a single hole shape. Therefore, compared to the conventional case in which they are formed separately, the configuration of the cap 14 can be simplified and the manufacturability of the cap 14 can be improved.

[0039] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the hole 30 of the drain area H in which the drain outlet 38 is formed is formed in the side wall surface 12A of the case 12. As a result, water that has entered the cap 14 flows directly down the side wall surface 12A of the case 12 through the drain outlet 38, and is smoothly drained. In other words, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the resin case 12, which occurs when water accumulates on the flat upper surface 12B of the case 12 as in the conventional case, and the drainage water contains calcium chloride that is sprayed to deal with freezing and snow accumulation.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, when the inclined shape of the claw portion 36 that forms the drainage outlet 38 is formed from the position of the upper surface portion 26B of the convex shape 26 of the case 12, water from the upper surface portion 26B of the convex shape 26 flows directly to the upper surface 36C of the claw portion 36, thereby draining water more smoothly.

[0041] (Other embodiments) The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

[0042] For example, the inclined shape of the upper surface 36C of the claw portion 36 is not limited to an R-shape or a C-shape, and may be another inclined shape. That is, the size of the drainage hole 38 formed by the inclined shape of the upper surface 36C of the claw portion 36 may be set to a size such that the force with which the water drained from the drainage hole 38 slides down due to gravity is greater than the surface tension generated at the drainage hole 38.

[0043] Furthermore, the material of the canister 10 is not limited to resin, but it may be made of steel plate or other lightweight materials.

[0044] The shape of the hole 30 forming the drain port 38 may be various shapes in addition to the shape shown in the illustrated embodiment in which the upper part is pot-shaped. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Canister 12 cases 12A Case side wall 14 Cap 22 Adsorbents 24 Atmospheric port 26 Convex shape 26B Convex upper surface 30 Hole 36 Claw part 36C Top of the claw 38 Drain K engagement area H Drain area G gravity θ surface tension

Claims

1. A canister comprising a case forming a storage chamber for storing an adsorbent, an atmospheric port formed in the case, and a cap covering the atmospheric port, A canister, wherein a claw portion for engaging and fixing the cap is provided on an outer wall surface of the case, and a hole portion is provided in the cap at a position corresponding to the claw portion of the case, the hole portion having an engagement region for engaging with the claw portion and also having a drain area forming a drain outlet for discharging water inside the cap, and when viewed in the vertical direction when the cap is engaged and fixed to the case, the drain area is located above the engagement area.

2. 2. The canister of claim 1, A canister, wherein the hole formed in the cap is formed at a position facing the side wall surface of the case, and the drainage from the drain area flows directly down to the side wall surface of the case.

3. 3. The canister according to claim 1 or 2, A canister in which the upper part of the canister case has a convex shape with a side wall surface that is slightly reduced in size, an atmospheric port is set on the upper surface of the convex shape, and a drain outlet is formed by the side wall surface that forms the convex shape and the drain outlet area of ​​the hole formed in the cap.

4. 4. The canister according to claim 3, The canister, wherein the inclined shape of the upper surface of the claw portion through which water flows is formed from the position of the upper surface portion of the convex shape.

5. 5. The canister according to claim 3 or 4, A canister in which the upper surface shape of the claw portion is an inclined shape sloping downward in an R or C shape, and the size of the drain outlet in the drain outlet area formed by the inclined shape is set so that the force with which water drained from the drain outlet slides down due to gravity is greater than the surface tension generated at the drain outlet.

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