Fluid handling – Diverse fluid containing pressure systems – Fluid separating traps or vents
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-09
2003-05-20
Michalsky, Gerald A. (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Diverse fluid containing pressure systems
Fluid separating traps or vents
C137S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06564822
ABSTRACT:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-309460 filed on Oct. 10, 2000 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fuel cutoff apparatus mounted in a fuel tank. More particularly, it relates to a float valve apparatus that cuts off communication to a canister to prevent fuel from being sent to the canister when the fuel tank is full.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fuel tank in an automobile is provided with an air intake/exhaust system to allow an amount of air corresponding to a varying amount of fuel in the fuel tank to get in and out of the fuel tank.
In an ordinary air intake/exhaust system, an inside of the fuel tank is connected to the air intake system via a canister and, if a large amount of fuel is fed toward the canister with the fuel tank full of fuel, the canister becomes wet and inoperative. A fuel cutoff apparatus is therefore installed at an upper portion of the fuel tank, functioning to prevent a large amount of fuel vapor from being sent toward the canister when the fuel tank is full.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 10-238429, for example, discloses a fuel cutoff apparatus disposed at an upper portion of a fuel tank as a related art to the invention.
The fuel cutoff apparatus disposed at the upper portion of the fuel tank as a related art to the invention will be described with reference to FIG.
1
.
There is provided a fuel cutoff apparatus
2
at an upper portion of a fuel tank
1
. The fuel cutoff apparatus
2
is of dual construction. A plurality of openings
4
that allow fuel to flow in are provided in a side face of an outer casing
3
. In addition, there are provided valve openings
5
A,
5
B at a top portion of the outer casing
3
. The outer casing
3
is secured to a mounting casing
6
which is, in turn, secured to the fuel tank
1
. The mounting casing
6
is provided with a port
7
that communicates with a side of the canister (not shown).
An inner float
8
is provided so as to be vertically movable inside the outer casing
3
. Valve bodies
9
A,
9
B that open and close the valve openings
5
A,
5
B are provided at a top of the inner float
8
.
There is provided an exhaust port
10
for exhausting that part of fuel that flows into the outer casing
3
at a bottom end of the outer casing
3
and a hollow valve
11
for opening and closing the exhaust port
10
is also provided. The hollow valve
11
keeps the exhaust port
10
open when the fuel level remains low, but, as the fuel level becomes high, the hollow valve
11
floats up through buoyancy to close the exhaust port
10
.
The operation of the fuel cutoff apparatus constructed as described in the foregoing will be explained.
When a fuel level L is low, the inner float
8
is located at a level downward the outer casing
3
, which keeps the valve openings
5
A,
5
B open. The hollow valve
11
is located downward to keep the exhaust port
10
open.
When the fuel level L becomes equivalent to, or higher than, the level of the hollow valve
11
, the hollow valve
11
goes up to close the exhaust port
10
.
When the fuel level L becomes higher than the level of the openings
4
, fuel flows into the outer casing
3
through the openings
4
. Since the exhaust port
10
is closed, the fuel that has flown in is stored inside the outer casing
3
.
This results in the inner float
8
being raised through buoyancy. At this time, however, the valve body
9
B closes only the valve opening
5
B and the inner float
8
is yet to close the valve opening
5
A. As a result, the fuel level goes even further upward.
When the fuel level goes even further upward, the inner float
8
goes even further upward, in which condition the valve opening
5
A is closed by the valve body
9
A.
According to the known fuel cutoff apparatus, therefore, fuel can be prevented from being cut off at early stages and, at the same time, the fuel tank can be filled with more fuel to a higher level thereof.
The know fuel cutoff apparatus nonetheless presents the following problems.
Since the hollow valve
11
is provided separately from the inner float
8
, the number of parts used increases resulting in an increased cost. The increase in the number of parts used is also disadvantageous in terms of production control.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, when a fuel cutoff apparatus
21
is mounted on a fuel tank
22
, a flow F of fuel sent through a fuel filler pipe
23
makes direct contact with an opening
24
provided in a side of the fuel cutoff apparatus
21
. This causes an inner float of the fuel cutoff apparatus
21
to be actuated at early stages, which stops an automatic fuel supplying operation by a filler gun before the fuel tank becomes full, thus requiring additional fuel filling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a fuel cutoff apparatus that prevents an inner float from being actuated at early stages and, at the same time, allows a fuel tank to be topped up regardless of the position at which a fuel filler pipe is mounted.
To achieve the foregoing object, the invention adopts the following embodiments.
A fuel cutoff apparatus according to a first aspect of the invention is provided with an outer casing that is provided with a plurality of openings in a side face thereof and a valve opening in a top thereof, a plate that is provided so as to close a bottom opening of the outer casing and provided with an exhaust port for exhausting fuel, and an inner float that is disposed so as to be vertically movable in an inside of the outer casing and provided with a valve body to open and close the valve opening on a top thereof and a closing portion to close the exhaust port on a bottom thereof.
A fuel cutoff apparatus according to a second aspect of the invention is provided with an outer casing that is provided with a plurality of openings in a side face thereof and a valve opening in a top thereof, an inner float that is provided with a valve body to open and close the valve opening on a top thereof and disposed so as to be vertically movable in an inside of the outer casing, and a cover that covers the openings in the outer casing.
A fuel cutoff apparatus according to a third aspect of the invention is provided with an outer casing and an inner float that is disposed so as to be vertically movable inside the outer casing. The outer casing is provided with a plurality of openings in a side face thereof, an upper hole in an upper portion of the side face thereof, and a valve opening in an upper portion thereof. In addition, a portion formed in a manner to open outwardly is provided at a position lower than the upper hole portion of the outer casing. A valve body that opens and closes the valve opening in the outer casing is provided at an upper portion of the inner float. There is also provided a cover that covers the openings portion in the outer casing.
A fuel cutoff apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the invention is provided with an outer casing and an inner float that is disposed so as to be vertically movable inside the outer casing. The outer casing is provided with a plurality of openings in a side face thereof. There is provided an upper hole in an upper portion of the side face of the outer casing and there is a valve opening in a top of the outer casing. There is also provided at an upper portion of the inner float a valve body that opens and closes the valve opening in the outer casing. In addition, the fuel cutoff apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the invention is provided a cover that covers the upper hole portion of the outer casing and the openings portion of the outer casing. Moreover, there is provided in an intermediary portion of the cover between the upper hole portion and the openings a slope surface of a recessed portion formed by narrowing the diameter. There is also at a top end of the cover a portion with a diameter larger than a main body
Muto Nobuharu
Sugimura Norikazu
Kyosan Denki Co. Ltd.
Michalsky Gerald A.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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