Resin-made fuel tank

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10737569-B2
Application number	US-201816131356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2018
Priority date	Sep 28, 2017
Publication date	Aug 11, 2020
Grant date	Aug 11, 2020

Abstract

A resin-made fuel tank includes: a resin-made fuel tank main body provided by joining an upper half and a lower half; a barrier sheet layer that is provided on an inner surface of the fuel tank main body and that reduces permeation of a fuel from the fuel tank main body; and a front mounting stay and rear mounting stays for mounting the fuel tank main body to a vehicle body. The front mounting stay and the rear mounting stays are provided on the fuel tank main body at positions vertically spaced from an upper joint surface and a lower joint surface at which the upper half and the lower half re joined to each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A resin-made fuel tank comprising:
a resin-made fuel tank main body provided by joining an upper half and a lower half;
a barrier sheet layer that is provided on an inner surface of the fuel tank main body and that reduces permeation of a fuel from the fuel tank main body; and
mounting stays for mounting the fuel tank main body to a vehicle body,
wherein the mounting stays are provided on the fuel tank main body at positions vertically spaced from a joint surface at which the upper half and the lower half are mated and joined to each other,
the mounting stays include a front mounting stay extending upward from an upper surface of the upper half and rear mounting stays extending downward from a lower surface of the lower half, the upper surface of the upper half being spaced upward from the joint surface, the lower surface of the lower half being spaced downward from the joint surface,
the front mounting stay is singularly provided to the upper half at a front portion of the fuel tank main body, the rear mounting stays include a pair of left and right rear mounting stays that are provided to the lower half at a rear portion of the fuel tank main body,
the pair of the left and right rear mounting stays are spaced from each other in a left-right direction,
the fuel tank main body is supported to the vehicle body by a three-point support of the front mounting stay and the pair of the left and right rear mounting stays,
the fuel tank main body is provided with a cylindrical injection section, for fuel injection, which is a cylinder and which is behind the front mounting stay at an upper portion of a front portion of the upper half, and
a rear surface rib is provided which connects a portion, in the upper surface of the upper half, that is located forward of the cylindrical injection section to a rear surface of the front mounting stay.

2. The resin-made fuel tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein the mounting stays are provided with a mounting hole through which to pass a fixture fixed to the vehicle body, and
the mounting stays are provided with a brittle portion in a vicinity of the mounting hole.

3. The resin-made fuel tank according to claim 2 , wherein the brittle portion is a groove provided in a periphery of the mounting hole.

4. The resin-made fuel tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein the joint surface is provided at a flange portion extending to outside of the fuel tank main body, and
the mounting stays are provided with a rib extending from the flange portion.

5. The resin-made fuel tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein the barrier sheet layer is provided as a shaped body shaped along an inner surface of the fuel tank main body, and
an outer surface of the fuel tank main body that is opposite to the shaped body is integrally molded with an exterior part connected to the outer surface by connection portions that protrude outward and are spaced apart from each other in a plane direction of the outer surface.

6. The resin-made fuel tank according to claim 5 , wherein the fuel tank main body is formed by injection molding in relation to the shaped body.

7. The resin-made fuel tank according to claim 5 , wherein the exterior part includes connection bases that project outward from the outer surface, extend in a longitudinal direction of the fuel tank main body and are spaced apart in a width direction, and flange portions provided at end portions in regard of a projecting direction of the connection bases.

8. The resin-made fuel tank according to claim 5 , wherein the exterior part is a surrounding wall that projects outward from the outer surface and surrounds a surface of the outer surface, and the fuel tank main body is provided in a portion surrounded by the surrounding wall with a liquid injection port.

9. The resin-made fuel tank according to claim 8 ,
wherein the mounting stays are provided with a stay main body section, and a reinforcement rib that extends from the stay main body section toward the injection port side and is connected to the outer surface, and
the reinforcement rib is connected to the surrounding wall.

10. The resin-made fuel tank according to claim 1 ,
wherein the front mounting stay includes a vertical wall portion extending upward from the upper surface of the upper half, a forward extension portion plate-shaped and extending forward from an upper end of the vertical wall portion, and a mounting hole provided to the forward extension portion and fixed to the vehicle body,
the joint surface is provided at a flange portion extending to outside of the upper half, and
the front mounting stay is provided with a rib connecting a lower surface of the forward extension portion to the flange portion.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tabuchi Daisuke
• Matsumura Tomoyuki
• Mizukura Yuki
• YAMAGUCHI Tasuku
• Kurata Ko
• Yokomura Hikaru
• Mine Keigo
• Murakami Atsushi

Classifications

• B29C49/0691

  using sheet like material, e.g. sheet blow-moulding from joined sheets · CPC title

• B29C66/72343

  for liquids · CPC title

• B29C66/54

  Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles · CPC title

• B29C66/8322

  Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis · CPC title

• B60K15/03

  Fuel tanks · CPC title