Fuel tank

• US 8,590,565 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hiroaki, Murabayashi, Shinya, Shida, Kiyofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivell, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, MINH Q
• Application Number:
  US12/313,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20090133762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,835 Days
• Field of Search: 137/582, 137/565.34, 137/574, 123495-515, 220/734, 280/834, 428/35.7
• US Class Current: 137/582
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/077 with means modifying or controlling distribution or motion of fuel, e.g. to prevent noise, surge, splash or fuel starvation
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0344 comprising baffles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0775 for reducing movement or slash noise of fuel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/85978 With pump
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86043 Reserve or surge receiver
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86212 Plural compartments formed by baffles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86284 With antisplash means not in flow passage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1352 Polymer or resin containing [i.e., natural or synthetic]

Abstract

An improved fuel tank is disclosed. In the fuel tank, a shock-absorbing member comprising a plurality of foam members is mounted to an in-tank functional component provided inside a resin fuel tank body. When the fuel inside the tank sloshes up and down, the fuel strikes the shock-absorbing member, causing the force of the waves to be dispersed, and reducing the fuel sloshing sound created by the sloshing of the fuel.

Claims

1. A fuel tank comprising:

a resin tank body;

an in-tank functional component provided inside the tank body; and

a shock-absorbing baffle member formed into a shape mountable to the in-tank functional component, said shock-absorbing baffle member comprising a plurality of foam members each having a hollow bore extending through a central portion thereof, wherein the foam members are formed from a foamable fuel-tolerant material and arranged in a sequence on an elongated support member,

wherein the in-tank functional component comprises a resin pipe member having both ends thereof fixed inside the tank body, and wherein the resin pipe member functions as said elongated support member.

2. The fuel tank of claim 1, wherein the in-tank functional component further comprises a supply pump for pumping fuel from inside the tank body.

3. The fuel tank of claim 1, wherein the shock-absorbing baffle member is substantially held in place by the elongated support member and is installed into the tank body from an opening formed in the tank body in order to mount the in-tank functional component, and wherein each of the foam members is held in place on the elongated support member using an end-fastening member at each end thereof.

4. The fuel tank of claim 1, further comprising at least two retaining members provided for holding the foam members in place on the support member, wherein a respective retaining member is provided at each end of the sequence of foam members.

5. The fuel tank of claim 1 , wherein each of the foam members has a wall thickness which is greater than a thickness of the support member.

6. A fuel tank assembly comprising:

a resin tank body comprising a first chamber having a first opening formed therein, a second chamber having a second opening formed therein and an arcuate connecting channel interconnecting the first and second chambers;

a fuel supply pump including a supply pump body portion which extends inwardly into the first chamber through the first opening;

a fuel transfer pump for transferring fuel from the second chamber to the first chamber, the fuel transfer pump including a transfer pump body portion which extends inwardly into the second chamber through the second opening;

a resin pipe member which interconnects the fuel supply pump to the fuel transfer pump and provides fluid communication there between; and

a shock-absorbing baffle member disposed inside of the resin tank body, said shock-absorbing baffle member comprising a plurality of foam members each having a hollow bore extending through a central portion thereof, wherein the foam members are formed from a foamable fuel-tolerant material and arranged in a sequence on the resin pipe member.

7. The fuel tank of claim 6, wherein the shock-absorbing baffle member further comprises a respective foam sleeve extending around each of said fuel pumps.

8. A fuel tank assembly comprising:

a resin tank body comprising a first chamber having a first opening formed therein, a second chamber having a second opening formed therein and an arcuate connecting channel interconnecting the first and second chambers;

a fuel supply pump including a supply pump body portion which extends inwardly into the first chamber through the first opening;

a fuel transfer pump for transferring fuel from the second chamber to the first chamber, the fuel transfer pump including a transfer pump body portion which extends inwardly into the second chamber through the second opening;

a resin pipe member which interconnects the fuel supply pump to the fuel transfer pump and provides fluid communication there between, and

a shock-absorbing baffle member disposed inside of the resin tank body;

wherein the shock-absorbing baffle member comprises a plurality of foam members placed in a sequence surrounding the resin pipe member.