FUEL SUPPLY DEVICE

Abstract

A fuel supply device may include a housing including a housing body and a lid. The housing body may form a fuel storage tank. A fuel pump, a regulator, and a fuel storage amount adjusting unit may be disposed in the housing. The lid may have an excess fuel discharge path through which excess fuel flowing down from the regulator is fed to an inner wall side of the housing body. The housing body may have an upward fuel receiving surface that receives the excess fuel discharged at a lower position on an end side of the excess fuel discharge path. The fuel receiving surface may be structured and arranged such that the excess fuel discharged through the excess fuel discharge path is temporarily received by the fuel receiving surface and then returned to the fuel storage tank along an inner wall surface of the housing body.

Claims

1. A fuel supply device configured to be disposed in a middle of a fuel supply path extending from a fuel tank to an engine, the fuel supply device comprising: a housing including a housing body forming a fuel storage tank, which also serves as a reservoir tank, and a lid covering and airtightly sealing an opening of the housing body; a fuel pump that pressure-feeds stored fuel, the fuel pump disposed inside the housing; a regulator disposed inside the housing, the regulator configured to return excess fuel to the fuel storage tank while adjusting the fuel to be pressure-fed so as to have a predetermined pressure; and a fuel storage amount adjusting unit disposed inside the housing, the fuel storage amount adjusting unit configured to maintain an oil surface of the fuel stored in the fuel storage tank at a constant level, and feed fuel at a second predetermined pressure from a fuel eject pipe disposed in the lid to supply the fuel to the engine; wherein the lid has an excess fuel discharge path through which the excess fuel flowing down from the regulator held inside the lid is fed to an inner wall side of the housing body; wherein the housing body has an upward fuel receiving surface that receives the excess fuel discharged at a lower position on an end side of the excess fuel discharge path; and wherein the fuel receiving surface is structured and arranged such that the excess fuel discharged through the excess fuel discharge path is temporarily received by the fuel receiving surface and then returned to the fuel storage tank along an inner wall surface of the housing body.

2. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the excess fuel discharge path is formed such that the excess fuel moves by an action of gravity from a lower end side of a return port of the regulator to an upper position of the fuel receiving surface.

3. The fuel supply device according to claim 2, wherein: the excess fuel discharge path has a longitudinal path extending downward from the lower end side of the return port where an eject port for the excess fuel is disposed; a lower end portion of the longitudinal path is closed by an upward abutting surface; a part of an inner peripheral surface of the longitudinal path on a lower end side is opened to a side forming a discharge port; and during operation, the excess fuel is received by the abutting surface and then discharged to an upper position of the fuel receiving surface via the discharge port.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional partial view of a fuel supply device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1; and

[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment for performing the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a fuel supply device 1A of the present embodiment. The fuel supply device 1A includes a fuel pump 3, a regulator 4, and a fuel storage tank (not illustrated) inside a housing 2 that is a housing of the device. The fuel supply device 1A is disposed in the middle of a fuel supply path extending from a fuel tank (not illustrated) to an engine (not illustrated), and thereby functions as a reservoir in addition to functioning as a fuel supply unit. The fuel supply device 1A can stably supply fuel without interruption even when sudden acceleration or sudden deceleration occurs.

[0021] The fuel supply device 1A includes a housing body 2A having a fuel storage tank functioning also as a reservoir tank therein, and a lid 2B that airtightly closes an opening of the housing body 2A. The housing body 2A and the lid 2B constitute the hollow housing 2. A fuel introduction pipe (not illustrated) that introduces fuel and a fuel eject pipe 24 that ejects fuel are disposed on an upper surface side of the lid 2B.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in the housing body 2A of FIG. 1, and the housing body 2A includes a fuel storage tank (not illustrated), an electric fuel pump 3 such as a turbine vane pump that pressure-feeds stored fuel, and a fuel storage amount adjusting unit that opens and closes a valve on a proximal end side of a valve lever having a float 5 on a distal end side in a cantilever manner to maintain an oil surface of the stored fuel at a constant level.

[0023] In the fuel supply device 1A according to an embodiment of the present invention, the lid 2B holding the regulator 4 while constituting an upper portion of the housing 2 has an excess fuel discharge path 28 through which excess fuel flowing down from the regulator 4 is fed to an inner wall side of the housing body 2A, the housing body 2A has an upward fuel receiving surface 29 that receives the excess fuel discharged at a lower position on an end side of the excess fuel discharge path 28, and the excess fuel discharged through the excess fuel discharge path 28 is temporarily received by the fuel receiving surface 29 and then returned to the fuel storage tank along an inner wall surface of the housing body 2A.

[0024] That is, the excess fuel discharge path 28 through which the excess fuel flowing downward from the regulator 4 is fed to an inner wall side of the housing body 2A is integrally disposed in a part of the lid 2B, and the upward fuel receiving surface 29 that receives fuel discharged at a lower position on an end side of the excess fuel discharge path 28 is integrally formed in a state of extending from the inner wall side of the housing body 2A.

[0025] Therefore, without adding a regulator holding member to increase the number of parts or to increase labor in an assembly process as in the conventional example, it is possible to minimize occurrence of adverse effects due to flowing down of the excess fuel while ensuring a state in which the excess fuel discharged from the regulator does not directly collide with a vertical wall surface of the fuel storage tank or an oil surface, and it is possible to stably supply the fuel.

[0026] In addition, in the present embodiment, the excess fuel discharge path 28 extending from a lower surface side of the lid 2B is formed such that the excess fuel moves as it is by an action of gravity from a lower end side of a return port of the regulator 4 held inside the lid 2B to an upper position of the fuel receiving surface 29 laterally extending from an inner wall surface of the housing body 2A.

[0027] Specifically, in the excess fuel discharge path 28, a lower end portion of a longitudinal path 28a extending downward from a lower end side of the return port where an eject port of the regulator 4 is formed is closed by an upward abutting surface 28b, the flowing excess fuel is temporarily received by the abutting surface 28b, and the excess fuel is discharged laterally toward an upper position of the fuel receiving surface 29 through a discharge port 28c formed by opening a part of an inner peripheral surface of the longitudinal path 28a on a lower end side to a side.

[0028] Therefore, the excess fuel discharge path 28 converts the downward momentum of the excess fuel ejected from the return port and flowing down through the longitudinal path 28a into a lateral flow by the discharge port 28c opened to a side of the lower end portion of the longitudinal path 28a while buffering the downward momentum by the abutting surface 28b on a lower end side, and discharges the excess fuel toward an upper position of the fuel receiving surface 29 disposed at a position slightly lower than the discharge port 28c. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently suppress such adverse effects that the excess fuel flowing downward from the regulator 4 swings a fuel oil surface or generates vapor with the downward momentum of the excess fuel.

[0029] Note that it goes without saying that the above-described portion constituting the excess fuel discharge path 28 is not limited to the portion disposed integrally with the lid 2B, and may be retrofitted on the lid 2B. In addition, the above-described portion having the fuel receiving surface 29 on an upper surface thereof can be formed not only by integrally molding the portion with the housing body 2A but also by retrofitting a plate-like member or the like on the housing body 2A.

[0030] As described above, according to the present invention, the fuel supply device disposed in the middle of the fuel supply path to an engine and also serving as a reservoir can stably supply fuel by minimizing occurrence of adverse effects due to flowing down of excess fuel without causing an excessive increase in cost.