Receptacles – Vehicle mountable tank
Reexamination Certificate
1997-06-30
2001-12-25
Moy, Joseph M. (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Vehicle mountable tank
C220S004140, C220S319000, C220S378000, C220S657000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332555
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a fuel tank, for example of thermoplastic material, for installation in a motor vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One form of fuel tank comprising a thermoplastic material, for installation in a motor vehicle, comprises a connecting portion extending around an opening in the tank wall, with the opening being closed by a holding cover which is fitted on to the connecting portion and held thereon by a fixing means for urging the holding cover in a direction towards the connecting portion. The holding cover is provided for holding for example conduits or hoses, filling level indicator means, a pump or the like. A sealing ring which may be in the form of an O-ring is interposed between the holding cover and the connecting portion to which the holding cover is secured. In a fuel tank of that general design configuration, as is to be found in German patent specification No 42 40 629, the arrangement is such that the holding cover lies exclusively on the resilient sealing ring in order in that way to be able to apply contact pressing forces of different magnitudes and compensate for any manufacturing tolerances that may be present. In that arrangement the resilient sealing ring is a structural component of the connection between the tank and the holding cover. That however suffers from the disadvantage that the sealing ring is required to perform two functions, namely a sealing function on the one hand and on the other hand the function of a structural member for the transmission of forces, with the result that a variation in the position of the sealing ring, which can be caused for example by swelling or creep movement of the material forming it, as may occur for example due to the action of fuel thereon, may possibly also at the same time result in the configuration of the connection being affected.
Reference may also be made to German laid-open application (DE-OS) No 31 35 982 disclosing a fuel tank of thermoplastic material for motor vehicles, with a filling connection portion or filler neck, and a connecting support which is mounted thereto, for receiving the closure cap of the filler. In that case a sealing ring is arranged between the filler neck and the connecting support portion which is supported against a contact surface of the filler neck by way of the elastic sealing ring. In this case also the aim of the invention is to make use of the elasticity of the sealing ring to compensate for tolerances which may be caused by virtue of dimensional fluctuations and different coefficients of expansion so that this design also essentially suffers from the disadvantages already described above in connection with the fuel tank of German specification No 42 40 629.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel tank for a motor vehicle, which eliminates the disadvantages of the aboved-discussed tanks.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel tank for a motor vehicle having a sealing ring between a connecting portion and a holding cover thereon, wherein the sealing ring does not have to perform any function as a structural member in order thereby to ensure that any effects on the sealing ring such as those of swelling or creep of the material forming same cannot adversely affect the connection between the fuel tank and the holding cover and thus the effectiveness of that connection.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel tank for installation in a motor vehicle having a connecting portion and a holding cover for fitting thereon and for carrying for example conduits, filling level indicators and/or pumps or like accessories, in which a sealing ring is operatively disposed between the connecting portion and the holding cover, wherein the components can be readily assembled in a simplified operating procedure.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention the foregoing and other objects are achieved by a fuel tank which more particularly for example comprises thermoplastic material for installation in a motor vehicle. The fuel tank comprises a tank body having a tank wall, with an opening in the tank wall. A connecting portion extends around the opening for receiving a holding cover which is adapted to close the connecting portion and the opening therein. The holding cover is provided for holding accessory components, for example conduits, filling level indicators, pumps and the like. A sealing ring is operatively interposed between the connecting portion and the holding cover and is preferably in the form of an O-ring. A fixing means is operative to urge the holding cover towards the connecting portion to hold the holding cover thereon. The sealing ring is arranged in a groove in the connecting portion or the holding cover, with the cross-section of the groove and the sealing ring being so selected that, in its operative position of closing the opening in the tank wall, the holding cover is supported directly by the outwardly facing end surface of the connecting portion, in a condition of bearing against that end surface.
As will be seen from embodiments of the invention which are described in greater detail hereinafter, to achieve the required sealing effect between the connecting portion and the holding cover, it will be necessary for the sealing ring, in the condition of not being loaded by the holding cover, to project towards the respective other part of the assembly, that is to say, when the groove is provided in the connecting portion on the fuel tank, then the sealing ring is required to project towards the holding cover, while when the groove is provided in the holding cover, the sealing ring must project towards the connecting portion. The depth of the groove or the depth of penetration into the groove of the undeformed sealing ring is thus to be so selected that it is less than the diameter or corresponding outside dimension of the sealing ring. In that connection however the cross-section of the groove must be of such a size that it can completely accommodate the sealing ring which is subjected to a pressure loading by the co-operation of the connecting portion and the holding cover, with corresponding cross-sectional deformation of the sealing ring, in order thereby to provide that on the one hand a condition of adequate sealing integrity is guaranteed while on the other hand the sealing ring does not represent a component of the load-bearing structure of the connecting configuration afforded by the connecting portion and the holding cover.
The fixing means for securing the holding cover in its operative position can be in the form of a clamping ring. It is however also possible to position on the connecting portion, a holding ring of a push-in closure arrangement in the manner of a bayonet closure arrangement, the holding ring co-operating with a clamp ring which engages over the holding cover at its peripheral edge and urges it towards the end surface of the connecting portion on the tank wall.
Another possible design configuration provides that the connecting portion is provided on its outside with a screwthread, on to which can be screwed a union nut, an edge region thereof engaging over the edge region of the holding cover.
At any event it should be possible for the holding ring which for example can carry accessory components such as filling level indicators, delivery conduits or hoses, pump devices or the like which are arranged in or which lead into the fuel tank, to be mounted to the fuel tank in a given orientation in respect of its peripheral position and to be connected in that position to the fuel tank in order thus to ensure that the components which are mounted on the holding cover or connected thereto are in a defined arrangement relative to the tank. That can be achieved in the usual manner by the provision on the connecting portion, the fixing means and the holding cover, of means which produce a positively locking engagement therebetween and which permit the co-operating parts of the assembly to be fitted or insta
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld L.L.P.
Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG.
Moy Joseph M.
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