Abstract:
An object of the invention is to increase efficiency in an operation of joining an upper shell and a lower shell and to enhance reliability of a fuel tank against leakage. 
     The fuel tank according to the present invention includes: a fuel tank body ( 10   m ) which is constituted by an upper shell ( 12 ) and a lower shell ( 14 ); a fuel supply device ( 30 ) which is installed in the fuel tank body ( 10   m ) and pressure-feeds fuel in the fuel tank body ( 10   m ) to an internal combustion engine (E) of a vehicle; and a fuel vapor treating apparatus ( 20 ) which is configured to enable adsorption of fuel vapor, wherein the fuel supply device ( 30 ) and the fuel vapor treating apparatus ( 20 ) are mounted to the upper shell ( 12 ), and pipe ( 20   a ), ( 20   p ), ( 20   t ), ( 43 ), and ( 31 ) and wires ( 44 ) and ( 32 ) of the fuel supply device ( 30 ) and the fuel vapor treating apparatus ( 20 ) are configured to penetrate a wall of the upper shell ( 12 ).

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a fuel tank including a fuel tank body that is constituted by an upper shell and a lower shell, a fuel supply device that is installed in the fuel tank body and pressure-feeds fuel in the fuel tank body to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, and a fuel vapor treating apparatus that is configured to enable adsorption of fuel vapor, and a method of manufacturing the same. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     A technique related to the fuel tank described above is disclosed in JP-A-2004-19507. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the fuel tank is constituted by a fuel tank body  100  that stores fuel, a fuel supply device  120  that is installed in the fuel tank body  100 , and a fuel vapor treating apparatus  125 . The fuel tank body  100  is configured by joining an upper shell  101  and a lower shell  102  to each other at the positions of their respective flange portion  103  and  104 . The fuel vapor treating apparatus  125  is configured to enable adsorption of fuel vapor in the fuel tank body  100 , and is mounted to the ceiling portion of the upper shell  101 . In addition, the fuel supply device  120  is mounted to the bottom portion of the lower shell  102 , and a fuel pressure-feeding pipe  122  of the fuel supply device  120  and a power cable  124  for a motor are connected to a pipe joint  123  and a connector  127  that are provided in the side surface of the lower shell  102 . 
     In the fuel tank described above, the pipe joint  123  and the connector  127  to which the fuel pressure-feeding pipe  122  of the fuel supply device  120  and the power cable  124  are respectively connected are provided in the side surface of the lower shell  102 . That is, points that need sealing are at positions lower than that of the joining surface between the upper shell  101  and the lower shell  102 , and points that need sealing occur even in a case where the feel liquid level is lower than the joining surface. Therefore, reliability against leakage is reduced. 
     When the pipe joint  123  and the connector  127  described above are provided in the upper shell  101  in order to improve the aspects, the fuel pressure-feeding pipe  122  and the power cable  124  are installed to be suspended between the upper shell  101  and the lower shell  102 . Therefore, the fuel pressure-feeding pipe  122  and the power cable  124  act as obstructions during joining of the upper shell  101  and the lower shell  102 , and efficiency in the joining operation is reduced. 
     Accordingly, there has been a need for improved fuel tank in order to increase efficiency in an operation of joining an upper shell and a lower shell and to enhance reliability of a fuel tank against leakage. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a first aspect of this disclosure, a fuel tank includes: a fuel tank body which is constituted by an upper shell and a lower shell; a fuel supply device which is installed in the fuel tank body and pressure-feeds fuel in the fuel tank body to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle; and a fuel vapor treating apparatus which is configured to enable adsorption of fuel vapor, wherein the fuel supply device and the fuel vapor treating apparatus are mounted to the upper shell, and a pipe and a wire of the fuel supply device and the fuel vapor treating apparatus are configured to penetrate a wall of the upper shell. 
     Here, the pipe and the wire also include ports and the like besides a pipe joint or a connector. 
     According to the first aspect, since the pipe and the wire of the fuel supply device and the fuel vapor treating apparatus are configured to penetrate the wall of the upper shell, there is no need to provide a seal portion at a position lower than that of the joining surface between the upper shell and the lower shell. 
     Moreover, since the fuel supply device and the fuel vapor treating apparatus are mounted to the upper shell, the pipes and the wires of the fuel supply device and the fuel vapor treating apparatus can be integrated in the upper shell. That is, since the pipes and the wires are not suspended between the upper shell and the lower shell, during an operation of joining the upper shell and the lower shell, the pipes and the wires do not act as obstructions, and efficiency in the joining operation is improved. 
     According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a part of a container of a canister included in the fuel vapor treating apparatus is molded integrally with the upper shell. 
     Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the container of the canister and the upper shell are manufactured separately and the canister is assembled to the upper shell, material saving can be achieved. 
     According to a third aspect of this disclosure, the fuel supply device includes an engaging portion, and the fuel supply device is configured to be mounted to the upper shell by engaging the engaging portion of the fuel supply device with an engaged portion that is integrally molded with the upper shell. 
     Accordingly, mounting of the fuel supply device to the upper shell is facilitated. 
     According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a container of a canister included in the fuel vapor treating apparatus includes an engaging portion, and the canister is configured to be mounted to the upper shell by engaging the engaging portion of the container of the canister with an engaged portion that is molded integrally with the upper shell. 
     Accordingly, the completed canister can be mounted to the upper shell. Moreover, mounting of the canister to the upper shell is facilitated. 
     According to a fifth aspect of this disclosure, the upper shell is formed in a flat plate shape. 
     Accordingly, for example, when a part of a container of a canister is injection-molded integrally with the upper shell, demolding along the upper shell is possible. 
     According to a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a method of manufacturing a fuel tank including a fuel tank body which is constituted by an upper shell and a lower shell, a fuel supply device which is installed in the fuel tank body and pressure-feeds fuel in the fuel tank body to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, and a fuel vapor treating apparatus which is configured to enable adsorption of fuel vapor, including: a step of integrally molding a container body of a canister of the fuel vapor treating apparatus and an engaged portion that is engaged with an engaging portion of the fuel supply device with the upper shell; a filling step of filling the container body of the canister with an adsorbent and blocking an opening of the container body; a step of mounting the fuel supply device to the upper shell by engaging the engaging portion of the fuel supply device with an engaged portion of the upper shell before or after the filling step; and a step of joining the upper shell to the lower shell that is molded in a predetermined shape. 
     According to this disclosure, efficiency in the operation of joining the upper shell and the lower shell is increased, and reliability of the fuel tank against leakage is enhanced. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a fuel tank according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating a mounting configuration of a fuel supply device, and  FIG. 2B  is an enlarged view of a B part of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating a method of manufacturing the fuel tank according to Embodiment 1. 
         FIG. 4  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating a mounting procedure of the fuel supply device. 
         FIG. 5A  illustrates a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a fuel tank according to a modification example of Embodiment 1, and  FIG. 5B  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating an assembly procedure of a canister part of  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 6A  illustrates a side view illustrating a mounting structure of a canister in a fuel tank according to a modification example of Embodiment 1, and  FIG. 6B  is a perspective view illustrating an engaging mechanism. 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional fuel tank. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiment 1 
     Hereinafter, description of a fuel tank according to Embodiment 1 will be provided on the basis of  FIGS. 1 to 6 . The fuel tank according to this embodiment is a fuel tank with a canister to be used in a vehicle. 
     &lt;Summary of Fuel Tank  10 &gt; 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the fuel tank  10  includes a fuel tank body  10   m  constituted by an upper shell  12  and a lower shell  14 . The upper shell  12  and the lower shell  14  are resin injection-molded products, and the surfaces thereof are covered with a barrier layer Ba having fuel permeation resistance. Here, as a resin that is a body material of the upper shell  12  and the lower shell  14 , for example, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is used, and as a material of the barrier layer Ba, for example, an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) is used. 
     The upper shell  12  is formed by an upper plate portion  12   u  and a side plate portion  12   s  in a square container shape in which the lower side thereof is open, and a flange portion  12   f  is formed at a peripheral edge of a lower side opening  12   h  thereof. In addition, at a predetermined position of the rear side of the upper plate portion  12   u  of the upper shell  12 , a container body  22  of a canister  20  described later is formed to protrude downward. Furthermore, in the upper plate portion  12   u  of the upper shell  12 , an atmosphere port portion  20   a , a purge port portion  20   p , and a tank port portion  20   t  which communicate with the inside of the container body  22  of the canister  20  are formed. 
     In addition, on the rear side of the upper plate portion  12   u  of the upper shell  12 , a plurality of engaging claw portions  41  (two portions are shown in  FIG. 1 ) to which a fuel supply device  30  described later is mounted are formed to protrude downward at positions distant from the container body  22  of the canister  20 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2 , each engaging claw portion  41  is constituted by a flat plate portion  41   f , a wedge-shaped hook portion  41   k  formed at the tip of the flat plate portion  41   f . The flat plate portion  41   f  of the engaging claw portion  41  is configured to be elastically deformable in the thickness direction (the horizontal direction in  FIGS. 2A and 2B ), and a stepped portion  41   d  is formed between the flat plate portion  41   f  and the hook portion  41   k  (see  FIG. 2B . In addition, the fuel supply device  30  is mounted to the upper shell  12  by engaging the plurality of engaging claw portions  41  of the upper shell  12  with a plurality of claw receiving holes  53  of the fuel supply device  30  as described later. 
     Moreover, in the upper plate portion  12   u  of the upper shell  12 , a pipe joint portion  43  to which a pipe joint connection portion  54  of the fuel supply device  30  is connected and a case portion  44   c  of a connector  44  in which a connector body portion  55  of the fuel supply device  30  is inserted are formed. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a lower shell  14  is formed by a bottom plate portion  14   d  and a side plate portion  14   s  in a square container shape in which the upper side thereof is open, and a flange portion  14   f  is formed at the peripheral edge of an upper side opening  14   h  thereof. 
     In addition, the flange portion  14   f  of the lower shell  14  and the flange portion  12   f  of the upper shell  12  are joined by, for example, a heat plate welding method, thereby forming a fuel tank body  10   m.    
     &lt;Canister  20 &gt; 
     The canister  20  is configured to enable adsorption of fuel vapor which is generated in the fuel tank body  10   m  during parking of a vehicle (an engine stopped state) and to enable the adsorbed fuel vapor to be supplied to an intake pipe W of the internal combustion engine E during running. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the canister  20  includes a sealed type square container  21 , and the square container  21  is constituted by the container body  22  of a lower portion open type and a cover material  23  that blocks a lower portion opening  22   h  of the container body  22 . The container body  22  is molded integrally with the upper shell  12  as described above, and a partition wall  22   w  is formed in the ceiling portion of the container body  22  to protrude downward. In addition, the inside of container body  22  is partitioned by the partition wall  22   w  to the left and the right excluding the vicinity of the lower portion opening  22   h , and a left passage T 1  and a right passage T 2  which communicate with each other at the lower side position are formed inside the container body  22 . The left passage T 1  of the container body  22  communicates with the atmosphere port portion  20   a  via a first filter F 1  and the right passage T 2  of the container body  22  communicates with the purge port portion  20   p  and the tank port portion  20   t  via a second filter F 2  and a third filter F 3 . Here, the upper portion of the right passage T 2  of the container body  22  is divided into a space on the purge port portion  20   p  side and a space on the tank port portion  20   t  side by a low vertical wall  22   y.    
     The left passage T 1  and the right passage T 2  of the container body  22  are filled with an adsorbent C made of activated carbon or the like to which the fuel vapor is adsorbed. Moreover, a filter  23   f  a pressing flat plate  23   b , and a spring  23   s  for pressing the adsorbent C in the upward direction are disposed on the inside of the lower portion opening  22   h  of the container body  22 , and the lower portion opening  22   h  of the container body  22  is blocked by the cover material  23 . 
     The tank port portion  20   t  of the canister  20  is connected to a cutoff valve  16  mounted to the ceiling portion of the fuel tank body  10   m  and a fill-up regulating valve  16   v  via a vapor pipe  15 . The cutoff valve  16  is a valve that is closed by an overturning of a vehicle or the like, and is typically held in an open state. The fill-up regulating valve  16   v  is a valve that prevents a fuel liquid level in the fuel tank body  10   m  from exceeding the upper limit value during fueling, and is held in a closed state when the fuel tank is filled up and held in an open state except when the fuel tank is filled up. 
     An outside purge pipe  18   p  that is able to communicate with the intake pipe W of the internal combustion engine E is connected to the purge port portion  20   p  of the canister  20 . 
     In addition, the atmosphere port portion  20   a  of the canister  20  is open to the atmosphere via an atmosphere pipe (illustration is omitted). 
     According to the configuration described above, for example, when the pressure in the fuel tank body  10   m  is increased by a temperature rise or the like in a stopped state of the internal combustion engine E, gas (fuel vapor+air) in the fuel tank body  10   m  flows into the canister  20  through the vapor pipe  15  and the tank port portion  20   t  from the fill-up regulating valve  16   v  and the cutoff valve  16 . In addition, the fuel vapor that flows into the canister  20  is adsorbed to the adsorbent C while flowing from the right passage T 2  to the left passage T 1 , and air from which the fuel vapor is removed diffuses to the outside from the atmosphere port portion  20   a  via the atmosphere pipe. 
     In addition, when the inside of the intake pipe W has a negative pressure due to the driving of the internal combustion engine E, the inside of the canister  20  that communicates with the intake pipe W via the outside purge pipe  18   p  has a negative pressure, and air flows into the canister  20  from the atmosphere pipe and the atmosphere port  20   a  of the canister  20 . In addition, the fuel vapor that is adsorbed to the adsorbent C is purged while the air flows from the left passage T 1  to the right passage T 2 . Accordingly, the fuel vapor is desorbed from the adsorbent C, and the fuel vapor is suctioned into the intake pipe W of the internal combustion engine E through the purge port  20   p  of the canister  20  and the outside purge pipe  18   p  along with the air. 
     That is, the canister  20 , the vapor pipe  15 , the outside purge pipe  18   p , and the like correspond to a fuel vapor treating apparatus of the present invention, and the atmosphere port portion  20   a , the purge port portion  20   p , and the tank port portion  20   t  correspond to pipes that are configured to penetrate the wall of the upper shell  12  in the present invention. 
     &lt;Fuel Supply Device  30 &gt; 
     The fuel supply device  30  is a device for pressure-feeding fuel stored in the fuel tank body  10   m  to the internal combustion engine E, and as illustrated in the longitudinal cross-sectional view of  FIG. 2A , is constituted by a reserve cup  34  having a hollow cylindrical shape with a bottom, a pump unit  35  stored in the reserve cup  34 , and a mounting mechanism  50  for mounting the reserve cup  34  that houses the pump unit  35  to the upper shell  12 . 
     The pump unit  35  includes a fuel pump  35   p  that is a motor-driven type, a filter  35   f  that filters the fuel suctioned into the fuel pump  35   p , a pressure control mechanism (illustration is omitted) that controls the pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel pump  35   p  to be a predetermined pressure, and a remaining fuel amount detecting portion (illustrated is omitted) that detects a fuel level in the reserve cup  34 . 
     The reserve cup  34  is formed in a cylindrical container shape in which the upper portion thereof is open, and an opening (illustration is omitted) is formed at the lower end portion of the reserve cup  34 . In addition, the inside and the outside of the reserve cup  34  communicate with each other by the opening. In addition, a flange portion  34   f  is formed at the peripheral edge of the upper portion opening of the reserve cup  34 , and a through-hole  34   h  through which a support shaft  51  (described later) of the mounting mechanism  50  is able to be inserted is formed in the flange portion  34   f.    
     &lt;Mounting Mechanism  50  of Fuel Supply Device  30 &gt; 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  the mounting mechanism  50  of the fuel supply device  30  is constituted by a ceiling plate portion  52  that is mounted to the rear side of the upper plate portion  12   u  of the upper shell  12  and a plurality of the support shafts  51  that are connected to the ceiling plate portion  52  to be vertically movable in the axial direction. 
     The ceiling plate portion  52  is formed in a substantially circular plate shape, and thick portions  52   t  are provided at the outer peripheral edge of the ceiling plate portion  52 . In addition, the claw receiving holes  53  that are configured to enable the plurality of engaging claw portions  41  of the upper shell  12  to be engaged thereto are provided at the positions of the thick portions  52   t  of the ceiling plate portion  52 . Each of the claw receiving hole  53  is a square through-hole, and is formed to have a dimension through which the hook portion  41   k  of the engaging claw portion  41  of the upper shell  12  passes. In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 2B , in order to enable an inclined lower surface  41   z  of the hook portion  41   k  of the engaging claw portion  41  to abut on the outer peripheral edge of the claw receiving hole  53 , the position of the claw receiving hole  53  is positioned further toward the inner side in the radial direction than the engaging claw portion  41 . Accordingly, while the engaging claw portion  41  of the upper shell  12  is inserted into the claw receiving hole  53 , the inclined lower surface  41   z  of the hook portion  41   k  of the engaging claw portion  41  abuts on the peripheral edge of the claw receiving hole  53  and slides, and the flat plate portion  41   f  of the engaging claw portion  41  is elastically deformed toward the inside in the radial direction. In addition, in a state in which the hook portion  41   k  of the engaging claw portion  41  passes through the claw receiving hole  53 , the flat plate portion  41   f  of the engaging claw portion  41  is returned to its original state (widens outward in the radial direction) by elastic force, and the stepped portion  41   d  of the engaging claw portion  41  is caught on the lower peripheral edge of the claw receiving hole  53  (see  FIGS. 2A and 2B ). 
     Here, the thickness dimension of the thick portion  52   t  of the ceiling plate portion  52  in which the claw receiving hole  53  is formed is set to be substantially the same as the distance from the stepped portion  41   d  of the engaging claw portion  41  of the upper shell  12  to the rear surface of the upper plate portion  12   u  of the upper shell  12 . Therefore, in a state where the engaging claw portion  41  of the upper shell  12  is engaged with the claw receiving hole  53  of the ceiling plate portion  52 , the upper surface of the ceiling plate portion  52  abuts on the rear surface of the upper plate portion  12   u  of the upper shell  12 . 
     That is, the claw receiving hole  53  of the ceiling plate portion  52  corresponds to an engaging portion of the fuel supply device of the present invention, and the engaging claw portion  41  of the upper shell  12  corresponds to an engaged portion that is molded integrally with the upper shell of the present invention. 
     At a position close to the center of the ceiling plate portion  52 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2A , the pipe-like pipe joint connection portion  54  is formed at a position corresponding to the pipe joint portion  43  of the upper shell  12 . The pipe joint connection portion  54  is a joint that connects a fuel pressure-feeding pipe  31  of the pump unit  35  to the pipe joint portion  43  of the upper shell  12 , and is configured so that the fuel pressure-feeding pipe  31  is connected to a part protruding downward from the ceiling plate portion  52 . In addition, the upper portion of the pipe joint connection portion  54  protruding upward from the ceiling plate portion  52  is configured to be inserted and connected to the pipe joint portion  43  of the upper shell  12 . 
     In addition, in the ceiling plate portion  52 , the connector body portion  55  is provided at a position corresponding to the case portion  44   c  of the connector  44  of the upper shell  12 . The connector  44  is a member connecting a composite cable  32  of the pump unit  35  to a cable (illustration is omitted) outside the tank, and an upper portion protrusion  55   x  of the connector body portion  55  that is provided in the ceiling plate portion  52  is configured to be fitted into the case portion  44   c.    
     On the lower surface side of the ceiling plate portion  52 , a plurality of cylindrical portions  57  (two portions in  FIG. 2A ) are formed to protrude downward at positions on the inside in the radial direction of the thick portion  52   t . The cylindrical portion  57  is a cylindrical body that supports the support shaft  51  to be guided in the axial direction (vertical direction), and the upper side portion of the support shaft  51  is inserted into the corresponding cylindrical portion  57  from the below. In addition, on the inside of the cylindrical portion  57 , a coil spring  58  is attached at a position between the cylindrical portion  57  and the support shaft  51 . The coil spring  58  impels the support shaft  51  in such a direction to be extruded in the downward direction from the cylindrical portion  57 , and the upper end of the coil spring  58  is supported by the upper surface of the inside (the lower surface of the ceiling plate portion  52 ) of the cylindrical portion  57 . In addition, in the center part of the support shaft  51 , a flange-shaped spring receiving portion  51   b  is formed, and the lower end of the coil spring  58  is supported by the spring receiving portion  51   b.    
     In addition, in the vicinity of the lower end portion of the support shaft  51 , a lock portion  51   z  that is formed in an upward wedge shape is provided. The lock portion  51   z  is configured to be held in an expanded state of protruding outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft  51  by elastic force and in a stored state of being stored in the support shaft  51  against the elastic force. That is, when the lock portion  51   z  of the support shaft  51  passes through the through-hole  34   h  of the reserve cup  34  from the below as described later, an inclined surface  51   s  of the lock portion  51   z  is pressed by the peripheral edge of the through-hole  34   h  of the reserve cup  34 , and thus the lock portion  51   z  is held in the stored state against the elastic force. In addition, in a state where the lock portion  51   z  passes through the through-hole  34   h  of reserve cup  34  and completely comes out of the through-hole  34   h  in the upward direction, the lock portion  51   z  is held in the expanded state by the elastic force. Accordingly, the lower end portion of the lock portion  51   z  is able to press the flange portion  34   f  of the reserve cup  34  from the above. 
     &lt;Assembly Procedure of Canister  20 &gt; 
     Regarding assembly of the canister  20 , first, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , in a state where the upper shell  12  is vertically reversed, the first filter F 1 , the second filter F 2 , and the third filter F 3  are set in their respective positions from the lower portion opening  22   h  of the container body  22 . Next, the left passage T 1  and the right passage T 2  are filled with the adsorbent C from the lower portion opening  22   h  of the container body  22 . In addition, in a state where the container body  22  is filled with the adsorbent C, the entire upper surface of an aggregated part of the adsorbent C (the upper surface in  FIG. 3 ) is covered with the filter  23   f , and the filter  23   f  is pressed by the pressing flat plate  23   b . Moreover, in a state where the spring  23   s  is set between the pressing flat plate  25   h  and the cover material  23 , the peripheral edge of the cover material  23  is joined to the peripheral edge of the lower portion opening  22   h  of the container body  22  by welding or the like. Accordingly, assembly of the canister  20  is completed. 
     &lt;Mounting Procedure of Fuel Supply Device  30 &gt; 
     In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , mounting of the fuel supply device  20  is performed by mounting the mounting mechanism  50  in a vertically reversed state to the upper shell  12  in a vertically reversed state in the same manner. At this time, the support shaft  51  of the mounting mechanism  50  passes through the through-hole  34   h  of the reserve cup  34  including the pump unit  35 , and the flange portion  34   f  of the reserve cup  34  is held between the lock portion  51   z  of the support shaft  51  and the spring receiving portion  51   b . In addition, the fuel pressure-feeding pipe  31  of the pump unit  35  is connected to the pipe joint connection portion  54  of the ceiling plate portion  52  of the mounting mechanism  50 , and the composite cable  32  of the pump unit  35  is connected to a terminal  55   t  of the connector body portion  55  of the ceiling plate portion  52 . In this state, the engaging claw portions  41  of the upper shell  12  are caused to respectively pass through the plurality of the claw receiving holes  53  formed in the ceiling plate portion  52  of the mounting mechanism  50 , and the hook portions  41   k  of the engaging claw portions  41  are engaged with the peripheral edges of the claw receiving holes  53 . Accordingly, the ceiling plate portion  52  may be fixed to the upper shell  12 . In addition, simultaneously with fixing of the ceiling plate portion  52 , the pipe joint connection portion  54  of the ceiling plate portion  52  is connected to the pipe joint portion  43  of the upper shell  12 , and the connector body portion  55  of the ceiling plate portion  52  is fitted into the case portion  44   c  of the connector  44  of the upper shell  12 . In this state, mounting of the fuel supply device  30  is completed. 
     That is, the pipe joint portion  43  of the upper shell  12  to which the fuel pressure-feeding pipe  31  and the pipe joint connection portion  54  of the ceiling plate portion  52  are connected corresponds to a pipe that penetrates the wall of the upper shell in the present invention, and the connector  44  to which the composite cable  32  is connected corresponds to a wire that penetrates the wall of the upper shell in the present invention. 
     In this manner, when assembly of the canister  20  and mounting of the fuel supply device  30  to the upper shell  12  are completed, the flange portion  14   f  of the lower shell  14  is joined to the flange portion  12   f  of the upper shell  12  in the vertically reversed state by, for example, a heat plate welding method. In addition, after completing the fuel tank body  10   m , the upper shell  12  of the fuel tank body  10   m  is placed on the upper side, and the lower shell  14  is placed on the lower side, which is referred to as a normally placed state. Accordingly, the pump unit  35  and the reserve cup  34  descend along the support shaft  51  of the mounting mechanism  50  under their own weights. In addition, while the reserve cup  34  and the like descend, when the peripheral edge of the through-hole  34   h  of the reserve cup  34  presses the inclined surface  51   s  of the lock portion  51   z  of the support shaft  51  from the above, the lock portion  51   z  is inserted into the through-hole  34   h  of the reserve cup  34  with the diameter reduced by elastic force. Moreover, in a state where the lock portion  51   z  completely comes out of the through-hole  34   h  of the reserve cup  34  in the upward direction, the lock portion  51   z  is expanded by elastic force, and as illustrated in  FIG. 2A , the lower end of the lock portion  51   z  presses the flange portion  34   f  of the reserve cup  34  from the above. 
     Here, when the reserve cup  34  and the like descend under their own weights, the fuel pump and the like in the reserve cup  34  may be attracted to the lower side from the outside of the fuel tank body  10   m  by a magnet or the like. 
     In addition, an example in which, after the flange portion  12   f  of the upper shell  12  and the flange portion  14   f  of the lower shell  14  are joined to each other, the flange portion  34   f  of the reserve cup  34  is pressed by the lock portion  51   z  of the support shaft  51  as the reserve cup  34  descends is illustrated. However, after the flange portion  34   f  of the reserve cup  34  is pressed by the lock portion  51   z  of the support shaft  51 , the flange portion  12   f  of the upper shell  12  and the flange portion  14   f  of the lower shell  14  may be joined to each other. 
     &lt;Advantages of Fuel Tank  10  According to this Embodiment&gt; 
     In the fuel tank  10  according to this embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , since the fuel supply device  30  and the pipes  20   a ,  20   p ,  20   t , and  43  ( 31 ) and the wires  44  ( 32 ) of the canister  20  are configured to penetrate the wall of the upper shell  12 , there is no need to provide a seal portion at a position lower than that of the joining surface between the upper shell  12  and the lower shell  14 . 
     Moreover, since the fuel supply device  30  and the canister  20  are mounted to the upper shell  12 , the pipes  43  ( 31 ) and the wires  44  ( 32 ) of the fuel supply device  30  and the canister  20  may be integrated in the upper shell  12 . That is, since the pipe  31  and the wire  32  are not suspended between the upper shell  12  and the lower shell  14 , efficiency in an operation of joining the upper shell  12  to the lower shell  14  is increased. 
     In addition, since a part of the square container  21  of the canister  20  is molded integrally with the upper shell  12 , compared to a configuration in which the square container  21  of the canister  20  and the upper shell  12  are manufactured separately and the canister  20  is assembled to the upper shell  12 , material saving may be achieved. 
     In addition, since the fuel supply device  30  is configured to be mounted to the upper shell  12  by engaging the claw receiving hole  53  (engaging portion) of the ceiling plate portion  52  of the fuel supply device  30  with the engaging claw portion  41  (engaged portion) that is molded integrally with the upper shell  12 , mounting of the fuel supply device  30  to the upper shell  12  is facilitated. 
     Modification Example 
     Here, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified in a scope that does not depart from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the fuel tank  10  according to the embodiment, an example in which the upper shell  12  is formed in a square container shape in which the lower side thereof is open is illustrated. However, the upper shell  12  may be formed in a flat plate shape as illustrated in  FIG. 5A . Accordingly, for example, when the upper shell  12  and the container body  22  of the canister  20  are integrally injection-molded, demolding along the upper shell  12  having the flat plate shape is possible. Therefore, the container body  22  of the canister  20  may be molded to be thin and long along the upper shell  12 . 
     The container body  22  of the canister  20  is molded to be thin and long along the upper shell  12 , and a transverse portion opening  22   h  is formed on one end side in the horizontal direction (left end side in  FIGS. 5A and 5B ). That is, in the container body  22  of the canister  20  illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the partition wall  22   w , the left passage T 1 , and the right passage T 2  are formed to extend vertically, whereas, in the container body  22  of the canister  20  illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the partition, the left passage, and the right passage of which the illustration is omitted are formed to extend along the upper shell  12 . Therefore, the actions of the canister  20  illustrated in  FIG. 1  and the canister  20  illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B  are the same. In addition, the atmosphere port portion  20   a , the purge port portion  20   p , and the tank port portion  20   t  of the canister  20  of  FIGS. 5A and 5B  are formed in a state of being distant from each other in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the figure. 
     In this manner, since the container body  22  of the canister  20  is molded to be thin and long along the upper shell  12  by forming the upper shell  12  in a flat plate shape, a large-size canister  20  may be installed in an gas layer part of the fuel tank  10  (a space upper than that of the liquid level when the fuel tank is filled up). 
     In addition, in this embodiment, an example in which the upper shell  12  and the container body  22  of the canister  20  are integrally molded is illustrated. However, as illustrated in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , the completed canister  20  may be mounted to the upper shell  12  by using an engaging mechanism  70 . That is, the engaging mechanism  70  is constituted by a plurality of claw portions  72  formed to protrude toward the rear side of the upper plate portion  12   u  of the upper shell  12  and a plurality of claw receiving portions  74  formed in the container  21  of the canister  20 , and the canister  20  is fixed to the ceiling portion of the upper shell  12  by respectively engaging the claw portions  72  with the claw receiving portions  74 . 
     That is, the claw receiving portion  74  of the canister  20  corresponds to an engaging portion of the present invention, and the claw portion  72  of the upper shell  12  corresponds to an engaged portion of the present invention. 
     As such, since the completed canister  20  is able to be mounted to the upper shell  12 , the canister  20  may be inspected singly in advance. Moreover, mounting of the canister  20  to the upper shell  12  is facilitated by using the engaging mechanism  70 . 
     In addition, an example in which the engaging portion of the canister  20  is configured as the claw receiving portion  74  and the engaged portion of the upper shell  12  is configured as the claw portion  72  is illustrated. However, the engaging portion of the canister  20  may be configured as the claw portion  72  and the engaged portion of the upper shell  12  may be configured as the claw receiving portion  74 . 
     Similarly, in this embodiment, an example in which the engaging portion of the fuel supply device  30  is configured as the claw receiving hole  53  of the ceiling plate portion  52  and the engaged portion of the upper shell  12  is configured as the engaging claw portion  41  is illustrated. However, the engaging portion of the fuel supply device  30  may be configured as the engaging claw portion  41  and the engaged portion of the upper shell  12  may be configured as the claw receiving hole  53 . 
     In addition, in the fuel tank  10  of this embodiment, an example in which the lock portion  51   z  is provided at the tip (lower end) of the support shaft  51  in the mounting mechanism  50  of the fuel supply device  30  and the flange portion  34   f  of the reserve cup  34  is pressed by the lock portion  51   z  from the above is illustrated. However, a configuration in which the support shaft  51  is formed in a bolt shape and the flange portion  34   f  of the reserve cup  34  is pressed by a nut from the above and the below is possible.