Fuel supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11359588-B2
Application number	US-202117204532-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2021
Priority date	Mar 25, 2020
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

In a fuel supply device including a regulator and float-type level sensor, a fitting tube is formed integrally with an upper housing, a fuel pump being retained between the upper and lower housings. An outer periphery of a base part of the regulator is fitted into the tube. A regulator retaining member is formed as a separate member from the upper housing and retains the regulator in cooperation with the tube. The tube and the retaining member are joined via a snap-fit join part provided on fitting parts therebetween. The snap-fit join part is formed by engaging a projecting portion or a recess part, formed on an elastic piece provided on one of the fitting parts between the retaining member and the tube, with the recess part or the projecting portion formed on the other fitting part. A sensor support arm is molded as a unit with the retaining member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel supply device comprising
a fuel pump disposed within a fuel tank and sucking in and discharging fuel within the fuel tank,
a lower housing having a fuel outlet pipe and blocking an opening in a bottom part of the fuel tank,
an upper housing linked to the lower housing, protruding into the fuel tank, and retaining the fuel pump in cooperation with the lower housing,
a communication passage formed through the upper housing and the lower housing and making a fuel discharge part of the fuel pump communicate with the fuel outlet pipe,
a regulator connected to the communication passage and discharging excess fuel within the communication passage into the fuel tank when the fuel pressure within the communication passage attains a predetermined value or greater, and
a level sensor detecting a fuel level within the fuel tank, the level sensor including
an arm supporting a float in an extremity part thereof,
a rotor linked to a base part of the arm,
a pivot detection part pivotably supporting the rotor and being capable of detecting a pivot angle of the rotor, and
a sensor support arm supporting the pivot detection part,
a fitting tube being formed integrally with the upper housing and an outer periphery of a base part of the regulator being fitted into the fitting tube, a regulator retaining member being formed as a separate member from the upper housing and retaining the regulator in cooperation with the fitting tube, the fitting tube and the regulator retaining member being joined via a snap-fit join part provided on fitting parts therebetween,
the snap-fit join part being formed by engaging a projecting portion or a recess part, formed on an elastic piece formed integrally with the regulator retaining member, and provided on either one of the fitting parts between the regulator retaining member and the fitting tube, with the recess part or the projecting portion formed on another of the fitting parts, and
the sensor support arm being molded as a unit with the regulator retaining member,
wherein
the regulator retaining member includes a plurality of slits arranged at intervals in a peripheral direction on a peripheral wall of an extremity part of the regulator retaining member fitted onto the outer periphery of the fitting tube,
a plurality of elastic pieces, as said elastic piece, arranged in the peripheral direction are each formed from a portion, of the peripheral wall of the extremity part, sandwiched by adjacent slits in the peripheral direction, and
a plurality of guide projections are formed on the outer periphery of the fitting tube, the guide projections slidably engaging with a side edge in the peripheral direction of at least some of the elastic pieces when the plurality of elastic pieces are fitted to the fitting tube so as to guide said engagement of the snap-fit join part.

Assignees

• Hitachi Astemo Ltd

Inventors

• Naito Toshihiko
• Fukuda Yuki

Classifications

• B60K2015/03243

  characterised by special pumps, the mounting thereof · CPC title

• F02M37/0082 Primary

  Devices inside the fuel tank other than fuel pumps or filters (electrical pumps submerged in fuel tanks F02M37/10, jet pumps F02M37/025) · CPC title

• Y10T137/8342

  Liquid level responsive indicator, recorder or alarm · CPC title

• B60K2015/03217

  Fuel level sensors · CPC title

• G05D9/12

  characterised by the use of electric means · CPC title