Saddle-riding type vehicle with fuel pump

• US 20070023218A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation), Yamaha Motor Company Limited (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Koike, Munetaka, Shiraishi, Takushirou, Abe, Katsuhisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,533,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/219
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 35/00 Fuel tanks specially adapted for motorcycles or engine-assisted cycles; Arrangements thereof fuel tanks forming part of cycle frames B62K11/00; tanks in general B60K ; closure caps for fuel tanks B60K15/0406

Abstract

A fuel pump for a vehicle is resistant to damage and effectively uses fuel in a fuel tank. The fuel tank is saddle-shaped and straddles an upper side frame section of the vehicle. A left side tank section extends downward on a left side of the upper side frame section and a right side tank section extends downward on a right side. A fuel pump in the interior of the fuel tank is fixed on the bottom surface of either the left or right side tank section. For off-road saddle-riding type vehicles, the fuel pump is provided anterior to a fuel tank central portion when viewed from a side of the vehicle to ensure easy handling and foot landing properties

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a frame extending in a front and a rear direction;

a fuel tank having a saddle shape and straddling the frame, the fuel tank comprising a left side tank section extending downward on a left side of the frame facing a travel direction and a right side tank section extending downward on a right side of the frame facing the travel direction; and

a fuel pump mounted inside of the fuel tank for supplying fuel to an engine,

wherein the fuel pump is fixed in a bottom section of either the left or right side tank section so as not to move.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the fuel pump is fixed adjacent to a lowermost portion of an inside bottom surface of either the left or right side tank section.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the inside bottom surface slopes downward toward the front direction, and the fuel pump is fixed adjacent to a front edge section of the inside bottom surface.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the fuel pump is fixed on a lowermost inside bottom surface of the left or right side tank sections.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

an electrical wiring with one end mounted to the fuel pump;

an interior connector member mounted to an other end of the electrical wiring; and

an exterior connector member connected to the interior connector member and configured in a rear portion of the fuel tank a predetermined distance from the fuel pump.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, further comprising a sealing member including the exterior connector member,

wherein the sealing member seals a space between the fuel tank and at least one of the interior connector member and the exterior connector member, and is mounted in a flat surface section in the rear portion of said fuel tank.

7. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the exterior connector member is integrally formed in the rear portion of the fuel tank.

8. The vehicle of claim 5, further comprising:

a first piping member for supplying fuel to an outside of the fuel tank; and

a sealing member which includes the exterior connector member and a piping member connection section in an integral fashion, and which is mounted to the rear portion of the fuel tank,

wherein one end section of the first piping member is connected to the fuel pump and an other end section of the first piping member is connected to the piping member connection section of the sealing member from inside of the fuel tank, and

wherein fuel passing through the first piping member is supplied to the outside from the rear portion of the fuel tank.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, further comprising:

a return piping member for returning excess fuel to the fuel tank; and

a first exterior fixing member having a first fuel path section and to which the return piping member is connected,

wherein the first exterior fixing member is fixed in an exterior of a bottom surface on which the fuel pump is fixed, and

fuel passing through the return piping member is returned to the fuel tank via the first fuel path section of the first exterior fixing member.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a first interior fixing member having a second fuel path section, and which mounts the fuel pump to a bottom inside surface of either the left or right side tank section, and

a second piping member for supplying fuel to an outside of the fuel tank,

wherein one end section of the second piping member is connected to the fuel pump,

an other end section of the second piping member is connected to the first interior fixing member, and

fuel passing through the second piping member is supplied to the outside via the second fuel path section of the first interior fixing member.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, further comprising:

a second exterior fixing member which has a third fuel path section connected to the second fuel path section of the first interior fixing member, and which is mounted to an outside bottom surface of the fuel tank,

wherein fuel passing through the second fuel path section of the first interior fixing member is supplied to the outside via the third fuel path section of the second exterior fixing member.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein boss sections protruding inward are provided on the bottom surface of either the left or right side tank section, and

a second interior fixing member which has a predetermined length, and to which the fuel pump is mounted, is mounted in an inner side portion of the boss sections.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein through holes for mounting the fuel pump are provided in the second interior fixing member.

14. A saddle-riding type vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body frame;

an internal combustion engine that generates driving force to drive a wheel;

a fuel tank that straddles the vehicle body frame and extends in an anteroposterior direction of the vehicle across a vehicle width direction;

a seat with a front end portion situated approximately at a central portion of the fuel tank; and

a fuel pump inside of the fuel tank that supplies fuel to the engine, wherein

the fuel pump is mounted anterior to the central portion of the fuel tank when viewed from a side of the vehicle.

15. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 14, wherein a longitudinal direction of the fuel pump is along a top and bottom direction of the vehicle.

16. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 14, wherein the fuel pump comprises:

a pump section which pumps out fuel; and

a motor section which rotates the pump section,

wherein the pump section and the motor section are adjacent along a direction of a rotation axis of the motor section, and

a longitudinal direction of the fuel pump is along the direction of the rotation axis.

17. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 14, wherein

at least a part of the vehicle body frame is above the engine, and

a top end section of the fuel pump is below a top end portion of the vehicle body frame.

18. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 14, further comprising:

an exhaust pipe coupled to the engine on one side of the vehicle, wherein the fuel pump is located on a side of the vehicle opposite the one side.

19. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 14, further comprising:

a side stand which supports the vehicle in a standing position located on one side of the vehicle, wherein the fuel pump is located on the one side.

20. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 14, further comprising:

cylinder cowlings that guide a traveling air stream into an inside portion of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction,

wherein the cylinder cowlings extend diagonally toward a front of the vehicle from side sections of the fuel tank, and

the fuel pump is located inside the cylinder cowlings in the vehicle width direction

21. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 14, wherein:

an outlet to eject fuel is provided at a bottom surface of the fuel pump, and

the bottom surface is situated below a level that fuel inside the fuel tank reaches.

22. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 14, wherein:

the internal combustion engine has a piston of approximate cylindrical shape, and a longitudinal direction of the fuel pump is along a center line of the piston.

23. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 22, wherein the engine is a single-cylinder engine which has one piece of the piston.

27. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 14, wherein:

the fuel tank has a sub fuel tank section that is a separate unit from the fuel tank, and

the fuel pump is situated inside of the sub fuel tank.

24. A saddle-riding type vehicle comprising:

an internal combustion engine that generates driving force to drive a wheel; and

a fuel pump that supplies fuel to the internal combustion engine,

wherein the fuel pump is provided inside a fuel tank and is anterior to a central portion of the fuel tank, and a longitudinal direction of the fuel pump is along a plane which is parallel to a plane containing an anteroposterior direction line of the vehicle and a top and bottom direction line of the vehicle.

25. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 24, further comprising:

a head pipe which is situated anterior to the fuel tank; and

a down tube that extends downward from the head pipe and supports the engine,

wherein the longitudinal direction of the fuel pump is along the down tube when viewed from a side of the vehicle.

26. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 25, wherein the down tube comprises:

an upper section formed by an upper rod-like member, and

lower sections formed by two lower rod-like members that branch from the upper rod-like member,

wherein the fuel pump is situated at the upper section.

28. The saddle-riding type vehicle of claim 24, wherein:

the fuel tank has a sub fuel tank section that is a separate unit from the fuel tank, and

the fuel pump is situated inside of the sub fuel tank.