Internal-combustion engines – Charge forming device – Fuel flow regulation between the pump and the charge-forming...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-28
2001-04-17
Miller, Carl S. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Charge forming device
Fuel flow regulation between the pump and the charge-forming...
C123S509000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216672
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fuel supply system of an outboard motor.
In a known art, an outboard motor is provided with a fuel supply system or apparatus for fuel injection type engine, and such fuel supply system is operated in a manner that a fuel in a fuel tank is guided to a vapor separator by means of a low pressure fuel pump, then delivered to a high pressure fuel filter by means of a high pressure fuel pump and filtered therein, and thereafter, is guided to an intake port by a fuel injector through a delivery pipe. An extra amount of the fuel fed to the fuel injector is delivered to a pressure regulator from a downstream side of the delivery pipe and is thereafter returned to the vapor separator after a fuel pressure has been lowered.
In the conventional structure, however, since the vapor separator and the pressure regulator are arranged apart from each other around an engine. Accordingly, a space around the engine is not effectively utilized and, in addition, duct or pipe arrangement is made complicated.
Furthermore, in the conventional structure, fuel elements or members constituting the fuel supply system such as a vapor separator, a pressure regulator, a fuel pump, a fuel filter, etc. are arranged or mounted to various portions of the engine, thus being inconvenient for performing maintenance or inspection of the engine and making it difficult to realize a compact structure of the engine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art mentioned above and to provide a fuel supply system of an outboard motor having a compact structure and having an improved arrangement of fuel elements to easily carry out maintenance work.
This and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing a fuel supply system of an outboard motor, particularly of a fuel-injection type, comprising:
a fuel tank in which a fuel to be supplied is stored;
a low pressure fuel filter and a low pressure fuel pump connected to the fuel tank through a fuel supply hose;
a vapor separator connected to the low pressure fuel pump through a low pressure fuel hose;
a high pressure fuel pump disposed inside the vapor separator;
a pressure regulator disposed inside the vapor separator;
a fuel hose having one end connected to the high pressure fuel pump;
a branch pipe incorporated on the way of the fuel hose means and having one end connected to the pressure regulator through a hose; and
a delivery pipe connected to another one end of the branch pipe.
In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of fuel injectors are connected to the delivery pipe and adapted to inject the fuel with pressure regulated by the pressure regulator.
The respective elements or parts mentioned above are integrally mounted to a mount base such as intake manifolds of an outboard motor.
A high pressure fuel filter is further disposed on the way of the fuel hose operatively connecting the high pressure fuel pump and the delivery pipe.
The vapor separator has an inner space sectioned by a partition plate into upper and lower portions in which the high pressure fuel filter and the pressure regulator are arranged respectively.
According to the structure of the fuel supply system of an outboard motor mentioned above, the fuel supply system can be made more unitive and the number of parts or elements to be arranged can be reduced, thus making the entire structure simple and compact.
The fuel elements or parts constituting the fuel supply system are mounted integrally to the intake manifold as mount base. Therefore, all the elements or parts of the fuel supply system can be integrally dismounted by removing the low pressure fuel hose from the low pressure fuel pump. As a result, the maintenance of the engine can be effectively performed and the fuel supply system itself can be made more unitive. Furthermore, re-assembling of such fuel supply system can be also done more simply.
The location of the high pressure fuel filter between the vapor separator and the delivery pipe can prevent foreign matters or the like from entering into the fuel injectors, thus the system being reliable.
Still furthermore, according to the present invention, since the fuel discharge port as the high pressure fuel outlet is formed to, for example, the upper portion of the vapor separator and the pressure regulator as the high pressure fuel inlet is located to, for example, the lower portion of the vapor separator, the overlapped arrangement of the fuel hoses can be prevented, thereby making the pipe (piping) arrangement compact.
The nature and further characteristic features of the present invention will be made more clear from the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5103793 (1992-04-01), Riese et al.
patent: 5389245 (1995-02-01), Jaeger et al.
patent: 5647331 (1997-07-01), Swanson
patent: 5819711 (1998-10-01), Motose
patent: 5855197 (1999-01-01), Kato
patent: 5865160 (1999-02-01), Kato
patent: 5873347 (1999-02-01), Kato et al.
patent: 5915363 (1999-06-01), Iwata et al.
Ito Jun
Mishima Shuichi
Miller Carl S.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Suzuki Kabushiki Kaisha
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