Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017282709-A1
Application number	US-201715464551-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 21, 2017
Priority date	Apr 1, 2016
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle includes: a vehicle body; a gas tank having a tank main body that includes a cylindrical barrel part and a cap that is provided at one end of the tank main body in a longitudinal direction; a bracket fixing the cap to the vehicle body; and a band surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the barrel part and fixing the barrel part to the vehicle body, wherein the gas tank is arranged such that the longitudinal direction extends along a front-rear direction of the vehicle, the bracket includes an engaging part that restrict movement of the gas tank in the longitudinal direction by engaging with an engaged part provided in the cap, and movement of the gas tank in the longitudinal direction is restricted by the engaging part only at the one end, and not at the other end, of the gas tank in the longitudinal direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body; a gas tank having a tank main body that includes a cylindrical barrel part and a cap that is provided at one end of the tank main body in a longitudinal direction; a bracket fixing the cap to the vehicle body; and a band surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the barrel part and fixing the barrel part to the vehicle body, wherein the gas tank is arranged such that the longitudinal direction extends along a front-rear direction of the vehicle, the bracket includes an engaging part that restrict movement of the gas tank in the longitudinal direction by engaging with an engaged part provided in the cap, and movement of the gas tank in the longitudinal direction is restricted by the engaging part only at the one end, and not at the other end, of the gas tank in the longitudinal direction.

2 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a second gas tank that is located further on a front side or a rear side than the gas tank in the front-rear direction and arranged such that a longitudinal direction extends along a width direction of the vehicle, wherein, in the front-rear direction, the cap is located on a side closer to the second gas tank than the other end of the gas tank in the longitudinal direction.

3 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle body includes a floor panel forming a floor of a vehicle interior, the floor panel includes a center tunnel which extends in the front-rear direction and protrudes toward the vehicle interior and on an inside of which the gas tank is arranged, the center tunnel includes a first tunnel and a second tunnel that is connected to a rear end of the first tunnel in the front-rear direction and extends toward the rear side, the barrel part is surrounded by the band at a position in the first tunnel in the front-rear direction, and in a cross-section orthogonal to the front-rear direction, a cross-sectional area inside the first tunnel at a portion where the band is located is larger than a cross-sectional area inside the second tunnel.

4 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle body includes a floor panel forming a floor of a vehicle interior, the floor panel includes a center tunnel which extends in the front-rear direction and protrudes toward the vehicle interior and on an inside of which the gas tank is arranged, the center tunnel includes a first tunnel and a second tunnel that is connected to a rear end of the first tunnel in the front-rear direction and extends toward the rear side, the band includes a band main body that are arranged so as to surround the barrel part in a circumferential direction, and a band main body fastening member that is located further on an upper side than the barrel part and fastens up the band main body, the barrel part is surrounded by the band at a position in the first tunnel in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and in a cross-section orthogonal to the front-rear direction, a height of a cross-section inside the first tunnel at a portion where the band is located is larger than a height of a cross-section inside the second tunnel.

5 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the cap includes a cap main body that is inserted into the tank main body and forms a communication hole to provide communication between an outside and an inside of the tank main body, and a valve that is mounted on the cap main body and opens and closes the communication hole, and the engaged part is provided in one of the cap main body and the valve, and the engaging part of the bracket engage with the engaged part provided in one of the cap main body and the valve.

6 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the engaged part includes a first protrusion or a first recess, and the engaging part of the bracket includes a second recess engaging with the first protrusion or a second protrusion engaging with the first recess.

7 . The vehicle according to claim 6 , further comprising a buffer member arranged between the first protrusion and the second recess or between the first recess and the second protrusion.

8 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the bracket includes a bracket main body that are arranged such that the bracket main body surrounds an outer circumferential surface of the cap, clamp the cap, and includes the engaging part, and a fastening member that fix the bracket main body to the vehicle body,

9 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the band surrounds the barrel part at a portion that is located on a side opposite from a side where the cap is located across a center of the barrel part in the longitudinal direction of the gas tank.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sasaki Shigeru
• Fujii Manabu
• Shibasaki Shunichi
• Hakamata Norihide
• Yano Shinsuke

Classifications

• B60K2015/0638

  the fuel tank is arranged in the rear of the vehicle · CPC title

• B60K2015/03118

  Multiple tanks, i.e. two or more separate tanks · CPC title

• F17C2270/0178

  Cars · CPC title

• B60Y2306/01

  Reducing damages in case of crash, e.g. by improving battery protection · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title