Internal-combustion engines – Charge forming device – Fuel flow regulation between the pump and the charge-forming...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-20
2003-01-28
Argenbright, Tony M. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Charge forming device
Fuel flow regulation between the pump and the charge-forming...
C123S516000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06510844
ABSTRACT:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 12-143415 filed on May 11, 2000, including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a fuel supplying apparatus and to a control method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A fuel supplying apparatus equipped with a fuel pump for pumping fuel stored in a fuel tank is known. In such a fuel supplying apparatus, a space is formed above a fuel liquid surface within the fuel tank, and fuel vaporizes into the space. In the apparatus, fuel vaporized (hereinafter, referred to as “fuel vapor”) in the space above the fuel liquid surface may be released into the atmosphere, and therefore, a measure for preventing release of fuel vapor into the atmosphere is needed. With regard to such measures, there are two major concepts: a concept in which fuel vaporization in the fuel tank is reduced; and another concept in which fuel vapor formed in the fuel tank is properly treated.
In reality, however, attempts to suppress vaporization of fuel within the fuel tank fail to achieve complete suppression of fuel vaporization, i.e., they allow fuel vaporization to some extent. Therefore, vapor formed within a fuel tank must be appropriately treated. Such a treatment can be realized by, for example, a technique in which an intake passage of an internal combustion engine is connected as a negative pressure source to a fuel tank, so that fuel vapor is drawn out from the fuel tank and into the intake passage due to the negative pressure source, and is treated outside the fuel tank. In this art, fuel vapor drawn out of the fuel tank is introduced into the internal combustion engine via the intake passage, and is thus treated.
However, if negative pressure occurs in the intake passage, the fuel economy of the internal combustion engine as a whole deteriorates. Therefore, there is a recent trend toward prevention of negative pressure in the intake passage or minimization of negative pressure if negative pressure is allowed to occur. However, an internal combustion engine in which the negative pressure generated in the intake passage is reduced has a problem of being no longer capable of drawing fuel vapor from the fuel tank into the intake passage. A technique for solving this problem is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-30158. In this patent application, a pump provided specifically for pumping fuel vapor from the fuel tank is used to introduce fuel vapor into the intake passage.
The technique disclosed in that patent application employs the pump for pumping fuel vapor, in addition to component elements indispensable for the functions of the fuel supplying apparatus. Such an added component element (i.e., the pump) causes a problem of increased production costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been accomplished in view of the aforementioned problems. It is an object of the invention to treat vapor formed in a fuel tank while requiring only a minimal number of component elements.
To achieve the above and/or other objects, the invention provides a fuel supplying apparatus that has a fuel pump for supplying fuel stored in a fuel tank and that also evacuates the gas (including fuel vapor) from the fuel tank by using the fuel pump. The fuel pump supplies the fuel from the fuel tank to outside the fuel tank via a take-up portion having a fuel take-up opening that is opened at a lower location in the fuel tank and a gas take-up opening that is opened above the fuel take-up opening within the fuel tank. Since the gas take-up opening is normally opened in a space formed above the fuel liquid surface, the fuel pump, when supplying fuel from the fuel tank, takes up gas (including air and fuel vapor) via the gas take-up opening, as well as the fuel via the fuel take-up opening. Therefore, fuel vapor formed above the fuel liquid surface in the fuel tank is discharged together with fuel into a device provided outside the fuel tank. Hence, fuel vapor is prevented from being released from the fuel tank into the atmosphere.
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Kojima Susumu
Takeda Keiso
Argenbright Tony M.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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