JP6146194B2 - Fuel tank assembly structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel tank assembly structure, and more particularly to a fuel tank assembly structure disposed in a front fender such as a bus.

  In buses and the like, so-called low floor buses in which the clearance from the ground to the floor panel is set low are often used. In such a low-floor bus, since it is difficult to ensure the ground clearance, for example, a structure in which a fuel tank or the like is disposed behind the front fender is employed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-149641 A

  By the way, when the fuel tank is disposed behind the front fender, there is a problem that the vehicle interior space is narrowed. Therefore, a structure is known in which a passenger seat is provided on the upper part of the fuel tank in order to effectively utilize the space behind the front fender where the fuel tank is disposed. However, since the fuel tank extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, there is also a problem that only a so-called sideways seat, in which a passenger sits sideways with respect to the vehicle traveling direction, is provided at the upper part of the fuel tank.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel tank assembly structure that can effectively secure a vehicle compartment space behind a front fender.

  In order to achieve the above object, a fuel tank assembly structure according to the present invention is a fuel tank assembly structure disposed on a front fender that covers a part of a front wheel of a vehicle, and is a floor panel positioned on a side of the front wheel. A vertical plate member extending in the vehicle height direction and having an upper end positioned above the front wheel and covering a side surface of the front wheel facing the passenger compartment, an upper surface of the front wheel, and the vertical plate member A lateral plate member that is disposed between the upper end of the front wheel, covers a top surface of the front wheel, a sidewall opening formed in a vehicle body sidewall panel above the lateral plate member, and an upper portion of the lateral plate member, A fuel tank mounted on the side wall opening side with a slidable clearance therebetween, and a fuel supply guide cylinder protruding from the fuel tank toward the side wall opening and having a fuel supply port formed at the tip thereof , Side wall opening A cover member that protrudes from the peripheral vehicle body side wall panel to the oil filler opening side and has a through-hole through which at least a part of the oil supply guide tube is inserted, and the cover member is provided on the side wall opening side. It includes a first cover part and a second cover part that is formed separately from the first cover part and has the insertion hole.

  Further, when the fuel tank is fixed to the horizontal plate member, the fuel tank is inserted in the state where the fuel supply guide tube is inserted into the through hole and the second cover portion is temporarily held by the fuel tank. It is preferable that the first cover part and the second cover part are joined by sliding to the side wall opening part side.

  The horizontal plate member and the bottom of the fuel tank may be formed to bend along the outer periphery of the front wheel.

  Moreover, you may further provide the cover part attached to the upper end part of the said vertical board member, and covering the upper part of the said fuel tank.

  Further, at least one bracket may be provided on the upper end portion of the vertical plate member, and the lid portion may be fixed via the bracket.

  According to the assembly structure of the fuel tank of the present invention, it is possible to effectively secure a vehicle compartment space behind the front fender.

It is a typical left view which shows an example of the vehicle which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical exploded perspective view showing the front fender concerning one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a front fender according to an embodiment of the present invention is assembled to a vehicle. It is a typical longitudinal section showing a horizontal board part and a fuel tank concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the typical longitudinal section which looked at the front fender concerning one embodiment of the present invention from the vehicles back side. It is a typical longitudinal section showing a side bracket concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a typical longitudinal cross-sectional view explaining the assembly | attachment procedure of the fuel tank which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a fuel tank assembly structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  First, a bus 1 that is an example of a vehicle according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. On the left side of the vehicle body of the bus 1, a front entrance / exit 4 is formed in front of the left front wheel 2, and a middle entrance / exit 5 is formed between the left front wheel 2 and the left rear wheel 3. The floor panel 80 constituting the passenger compartment floor surface is provided at substantially the same height as the lower opening edge of the front entrance / exit 4 and the lower opening edge of the middle entrance 5. That is, the bus 1 of the present embodiment is configured as a so-called low floor bus in which the ground clearance of the vehicle body is set low. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 90 denotes a vehicle body side wall panel, and reference numeral 94 denotes a lid for opening and closing a filler opening 92 (shown in FIGS. 5 and 7).

  Next, based on FIGS. 2-7, the detailed structure of the assembly structure of the fuel tank which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the front fender 10, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the front fender 10 is assembled to a vehicle. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 40 denotes a pair of left brackets fixed to a lateral frame 91 (shown in FIGS. 5 and 7) of the vehicle body. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 4 denotes a front entrance / exit, reference numeral 80 denotes a floor panel, and reference numeral 90 denotes a vehicle body side panel.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front fender 10 includes a front vertical plate portion 11 facing the front outer peripheral surface of the left front wheel 2, a rear vertical plate portion 12 facing the rear outer peripheral surface of the left front wheel 2, and the right side of the left front wheel 2. A side vertical plate 13 facing the surface, a horizontal plate 14 facing the upper outer peripheral surface of the left front wheel 2, a fuel tank 15 disposed on the horizontal plate 14, and a recess cover 70 (shown in FIGS. 5 and 7). ) And a cover 16 that covers the upper portion of the fuel tank 15.

  The front vertical plate portion 11 constitutes a part of the vertical plate member of the present invention, and is formed in a substantially flat plate shape with a metal material such as steel or iron. The front vertical plate portion 11 extends upward from the upper surface of the floor panel 80 (see FIG. 3) in a state where the flat plate surface is substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction. Further, the front vertical plate portion 11 has its left edge fixed to the side surface of the vehicle compartment side wall 90 (see FIG. 3) by welding or the like. Furthermore, a plurality of bolt insertion holes 11 </ b> A for fixing the front bracket 30 with bolts are formed at the upper end portion of the front vertical plate portion 11. Note that the vertical length of the front vertical plate portion 11 is formed such that the upper end thereof is close to the upper surface edge of the fuel tank 15 placed on the horizontal plate portion 14.

  The rear vertical plate portion 12 constitutes a part of the vertical plate member of the present invention, and is formed in a substantially flat plate shape with a metal material such as steel or iron. The rear vertical plate portion 12 extends upward from the upper surface of the floor panel 80 (see FIG. 3) in a state where the flat plate surface is substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction. Further, the rear vertical plate portion 12 has its left edge fixed to the side surface of the passenger compartment of the vehicle body side wall panel 90 (see FIG. 3) by welding or the like. Further, a plurality of bolt insertion holes (not shown) for fixing the rear bracket 31 with bolts are formed at the upper end portion of the rear vertical plate portion 12. The vertical length of the rear vertical plate portion 12 is substantially the same as the length of the front vertical plate portion 11.

  The side vertical plate portion 13 constitutes a part of the vertical plate member of the present invention, and is formed in a substantially flat plate shape with a metal material such as steel or iron. The lateral vertical plate portion 13 extends upward from the upper surface of the floor panel 80 (see FIG. 3) in a state where the flat plate surface is substantially parallel to the vehicle front-rear direction. Further, the side vertical plate portion 13 has its front side edge portion fixed to the right side edge portion of the front vertical plate portion 11 by welding or the like, and its rear side edge portion welded to the right side edge portion of the rear vertical plate portion 12 or the like. And the front vertical plate portion 11 and the rear vertical plate portion 12 are made continuous. Further, a plurality of bolt insertion holes 13 </ b> A for fixing the side bracket 32 with bolts are formed at the upper end portion of the side vertical plate portion 13. In addition, the length of the vertical direction of the side vertical board part 13 is formed in the length substantially the same as the front vertical board part 11 and the back vertical board part 12. FIG.

  The horizontal plate portion 14 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape with a metal material such as steel or iron. The horizontal plate portion 14 has a substantially horizontal horizontal plane portion 14A, a front inclined surface portion 14B inclined downward from the front end of the horizontal plane portion 14A, and a horizontal plane portion 14A so as to follow the shape of the upper outer peripheral surface of the left front wheel 2. And a rear inclined surface portion 14C inclined downward from the rear end. The horizontal plate portion 14 has a left side edge portion fixed to the side wall of the vehicle body side wall panel 90 (see FIG. 3) by welding or the like, and has a front side edge portion that is a rear side surface and a rear side edge of the front vertical plate portion 11. The portion is fixed to the front side surface of the rear vertical plate portion 12 and the right edge portion is fixed to the left side surface of the side vertical plate portion 13 by welding or the like. Thereby, the tire arch part which covers a part of outer periphery of the left front wheel 2 is comprised.

  The fuel tank 15 is made of, for example, a resin material or the like, and is attached to the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 14 via a fixing band or the like (not shown). The fuel tank 15 has a top surface portion 15A, a front side surface portion 15B, and a rear side surface portion 15C formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and a bottom surface portion 15F formed by bending it along the top surface of the horizontal plate portion 14. ing. The fuel tank 15 is formed by cutting out the lower edge of the right side surface portion 15D and the left side surface portion 15E along the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 14.

  That is, inside the fuel tank 15, as shown in FIG. 4, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped storage chamber A positioned above the horizontal plane portion 14A and a front inclined surface portion 14B positioned below the storage chamber A. A storage chamber B that extends and a storage chamber C that is located above the rear inclined surface portion 14C and extends below the storage chamber A are formed. Thus, the fuel tank 15 is configured to effectively secure its capacity by the storage chambers B and C extending downward while suppressing the height from the horizontal plane portion 14A.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the fuel tank 15 has an inclined surface portion 15F formed by cutting obliquely downward from the upper surface portion 15A toward the left side surface portion 15E, and from the inclined surface portion 15F toward the fuel filler opening 92. An oil supply guide cylinder 15G that protrudes obliquely upward, an oil supply port (not shown) formed on the inner cylinder surface of the oil supply guide cylinder 15G, and an oil supply port that is fitted into the outer periphery of the upper end of the oil supply guide cylinder 15G and seals the oil supply opening A cap (not shown). In the present embodiment, the dimension of the fuel tank 15 in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction) is such that the clearance C1 is between the right side surface portion 15D and the side vertical plate portion 13 and the space between the left side surface portion 15E and the vehicle body side wall panel 90. The clearance C2 is formed in such a length as to be secured. That is, the fuel tank 15 before being fixed on the horizontal plate portion 14 is configured to be slidable in the vehicle width direction.

  The recess cover 70 is made of, for example, a metal material such as steel or iron, and is provided so as to protrude from the vehicle body side wall panel 90 at the periphery of the filler opening 92 to the fuel supply guide cylinder 15G side, as shown in FIG. . More specifically, the recess cover 70 includes a first cover portion 71 on the fuel filler opening 92 side, and a second cover portion 72 formed separately from the first cover portion 71.

  The first cover portion 71 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and an end portion on the oil filler opening 92 side is fixed to the vehicle body side wall panel 90 by welding or the like. In addition, a substantially L-shaped upper flange 71A joined to the second cover portion 72 and a lower flange 71B inclined toward the axial center are provided at the protruding side end of the first cover portion 71.

  The second cover portion 72 is formed in a substantially triangular shape with a vertical cross section having a flat portion 72C substantially parallel to the inclined surface portion 15F of the fuel tank 15, and has an upper flange 71A at the end facing the first cover portion 71. An upper flange 72A that protrudes downward along the side surface and a lower flange 72B that slopes along the lower flange 71B are provided. In addition, a through hole 72D through which the oil supply guide cylinder 15G is inserted is formed in the flat portion 72C. That is, the second cover part 72 is configured to be temporarily held in the fuel tank 15 by inserting the fuel supply guide cylinder 15G through the through hole 72D before being joined to the first cover part 71. ing. The gap between the fuel supply guide cylinder 15G and the through hole 72D is sealed by fitting a boot or the like (not shown) after the fuel tank 15 is fixed.

  The lid portion 16 is formed of, for example, a resin material or the like, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a top view as shown in FIG. 2 and has a front edge portion, a left edge portion, and a rear edge portion. A downwardly extending lip portion 16A is integrally formed. The lip portion 16A functions as a blindfold that covers the upper end sides (bolts and the like) of the vertical plate portions 11 to 13. In addition, a plurality of bolt insertion holes 50 are formed in the lid portion 16, and an elastic material such as rubber that seals a gap between the left side edge portion of the lid portion 16 and the vehicle body side wall panel 90 (see FIG. 3). A left seal member 17 formed of a member is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the left seal member 17 includes a base portion 17A fixed to the left edge portion of the lid portion 16, and a buffer portion 17B formed integrally with the base portion 17A. The base portion 17 </ b> A has a substantially U-shaped vertical cross section, and the opening groove portion is fitted to the left side edge portion of the lid portion 16. The buffer portion 17B is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and is elastically deformed by being pressed against the side surface of the lateral frame 91 (or the vehicle body side wall panel 90) when the lid portion 16 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the side bracket 32 includes a lower bracket 33 attached to the side vertical plate portion 13 and an upper bracket 34 to which the lid portion 16 is attached. Note that the front bracket 30 and the rear bracket 31 (both shown only in FIG. 2) have substantially the same structure as the side bracket 32, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The lower bracket 33 is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section having a vertical mounting portion 33A and a horizontal fixing portion 33B. A bolt insertion hole 33D is formed in the attachment portion 33A, and a nut member 33C is provided on the back surface thereof. The lower bracket 33 inserts the bolt 60 into the bolt insertion hole 33D and the bolt insertion hole 13A of the side vertical plate portion 13 and fastens the bolt 60 to the nut member 33C on the back surface to thereby form the side vertical plate portion. 13 is attached to the upper end.

  The upper bracket 34 is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section including a lateral fixing portion 34A and a mounting portion 34B facing each other. The upper bracket 34 has its fixed portion 34A fixed to the fixed portion 33B of the lower bracket 33 by welding or the like with the opening directed to the passenger compartment side. A bolt insertion hole 34C is formed in the attachment portion 34B, and a nut member 34D is provided on the back surface thereof. The lid 16 is attached to the upper bracket 34 by inserting the bolt 61 into the bolt insertion hole 34C and the bolt insertion hole 50 of the lid 16 and fastening the bolt 61 to the nut member 34D on the back surface. .

  Next, functions and effects of the fuel tank assembly structure according to this embodiment will be described.

  In the fuel tank assembly structure of the present embodiment, the three vertical plate portions 11 to 13 extending upward from the floor panel 80 and the horizontal plate portion 14 fixed to the vertical plate portions 11 to 13 A tire arch portion that covers the front wheel 2 is configured, and a fuel tank 15 is disposed on the upper surface of the lateral plate portion 14. That is, the fuel tank 15 is configured to be accommodated in the front fender 10 without being disposed behind the front fender 10.

  Therefore, according to the assembly structure of the fuel tank of the present embodiment, it is possible to secure a wide cabin space behind the front fender 10 and to effectively provide a forward-facing passenger seat in the cabin space behind the front fender 10. It becomes possible.

  Further, when the recess cover 70 is integrally formed, when the fuel tank 15 is assembled, the horizontal tank 14 is inclined to the horizontal plate portion 14 while the fuel tank 15 is inclined so as to avoid interference between the through hole 72D of the recess cover 70 and the fuel supply guide cylinder 15G. It is necessary to place it. However, it is difficult to incline the large-capacity fuel tank 15 such as a bus in a space surrounded by the vertical plate portions 11 to 13 and the vehicle body side wall panel 90. In particular, in order to ensure the capacity, when the storage chambers B and C (see FIG. 4) extending downward are provided by bending the bottom surface portion 15F of the fuel tank 15, the side vertical plate portion 13 prevents the inclination. There is a possibility that there is a problem that causes deterioration of the assembly workability.

  On the other hand, in the fuel tank assembly structure of the present embodiment, the recess cover 70 is composed of a first cover portion 71 and a second cover portion 72 that are formed separately from each other. The second cover portion 72 is configured to be temporarily held in the fuel tank 15 by inserting the fuel supply guide tube 15G through the through hole 72D.

  That is, when the fuel tank 15 is assembled, as shown in FIG. 7, the fuel tank 15 in which the second cover portion 72 is temporarily held by the fuel supply guide cylinder 15G is placed on the side vertical plate portion 13 side of the horizontal plate portion 14. The fuel tank 15 can be assembled without tilting by simply sliding the first cover portion 71 toward the vehicle body side wall panel 90 to which the first cover portion 71 is fixed and joining the first cover portion 71 and the second cover portion 72 together. It is configured to work.

  Therefore, according to the assembly structure of the fuel tank of this embodiment, it is possible to reliably avoid interference between the through hole 72D of the recess cover 70 and the fuel supply guide cylinder 15G, and even if the fuel tank 15 has a large capacity, The assembly workability can be improved effectively.

  Further, in the fuel tank assembly structure of this embodiment, when the maintenance of the fuel tank 15 is performed after the assembly to the vehicle body, the fastening with the bolt 61 is released, and the lid 16 is simply removed, so that the fuel tank 15 can be easily attached. Is configured to be accessible.

  Therefore, according to the fuel tank assembly structure of this embodiment, maintenance workability such as repair and replacement of the fuel tank 15 can be effectively improved.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention, it can change suitably and can implement.

  For example, the front fender 10 is not limited to the one that covers the left front wheel 2 but can be configured as a front fender that covers the right front wheel (not shown). Moreover, you may form each vertical board part 11-13 integrally with one board. The bus 1 is not limited to a low-floor bus, and can be applied to a high-floor bus in which a step exists between the entrance / exit and the floor panel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bus 2 Front left wheel 10 Front fender 11 Front vertical plate part 12 Back vertical plate part 13 Side vertical plate part 14 Horizontal plate part 15 Fuel tank 15G Refueling guide cylinder 16 Cover part 70 Recess cover 71 First cover part 72 Second cover part 72D Through hole 80 Floor panel 90 Car body side wall panel 92 Filling port opening 94 Lid

Claims (5)

A fuel tank assembly structure disposed on a front fender that covers a part of a vehicle front wheel,
A vertical plate member extending in a vehicle height direction from a floor panel located on the side of the front wheel and having an upper end positioned above the front wheel and covering a side surface of the front wheel facing the cabin side; ,
A horizontal plate member disposed between the upper surface of the front wheel and the upper end of the vertical plate member and covering the upper surface of the front wheel;
A side wall opening formed in the vehicle body side wall panel above the horizontal plate member;
A fuel tank mounted on the upper side of the horizontal plate member with a clearance slidable on the side wall opening side; and
A fuel supply guide tube that protrudes from the fuel tank toward the side wall opening, and has a fuel supply port formed at the tip thereof;
A cover member that protrudes from the vehicle body side wall panel at the peripheral edge of the side wall opening to the oil supply port side and has a through hole through which at least a part of the oil supply guide tube is inserted, and
The fuel tank, wherein the cover member includes a first cover part on the side wall opening part side and a second cover part formed separately from the first cover part and having the insertion hole. Assembly structure. When the fuel tank is fixed to the horizontal plate member, the fuel tank is inserted into the through hole and the second cover portion is temporarily held by the fuel tank. The fuel tank assembling structure according to claim 1, wherein the first cover portion and the second cover portion are slid and moved to the opening side, and the first cover portion and the second cover portion are joined. 3. The fuel tank assembly structure according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal plate member and the bottom of the fuel tank are bent along the outer periphery of the front wheel. The fuel tank assembly structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a lid portion attached to an upper end portion of the vertical plate member and covering an upper portion of the fuel tank. The fuel tank assembling structure according to claim 4, wherein at least one bracket is provided at an upper end portion of the vertical plate member, and the lid portion is fixed via the bracket.

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