Tank cap and fuel tank with the same

Details Tank cap and fuel tank with the same Tank cap and fuel tank with the same

2000-03-14

2001-10-30

Shoap, Allan N. (Department: 3727)

Receptacles

Closures

Removable closure guided in rotary movement

C220S086200, C220S089100, C220SDIG003

Reexamination Certificate

active

06308852

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tank cap having a torque mechanism to close a tank opening by a predetermined rotational torque and a fuel tank with the tank cap attached thereto.
2. Description of Related Art
A known tank caps attached to a fuel tank of an automobile is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Gazette No. 6-88606.
FIG. 36
is a sectional view illustrating a prior art tank cap
300
. The tank cap
300
includes a plastic casing main body
302
that is screwed to a fuel supply inlet FNb of a fuel tank (not shown), a cover
330
that is attached to the casing main body
302
, and a negative pressure valve
340
that is accommodated in a valve chest
304
formed in the casing main body
302
and regulates the pressure in the fuel tank. The negative pressure valve
340
includes a rubber valve disk
342
, a valve support member
346
that has an opening
346
a
into which the valve disk
342
is fit, and a spring
348
that presses the valve disk
342
. When the differential pressure between the tank pressure and the atmospheric pressure applied to the valve disk
342
exceeds a predetermined level, the valve disk
342
is set in an open position against the pressing force of the spring
348
in order to make the tank pressure closer to the atmospheric pressure.
A torque mechanism
320
is disposed between the upper portion of the casing main body
302
and the cover
330
. While the casing main body
302
is attached to the fuel supply inlet FNb of the fuel tank, when the rotational torque applied to the cover
330
in the closing direction of the fuel supply inlet FNb exceeds a predetermined level, the torque mechanism
320
raises the cover
330
relative to the casing main body
302
. This arrangement prevents the fuel supply inlet FNb from being closed with an excessively large force applied to the tank cap
300
.
In the prior art structure discussed above, since many rotations of the tank cap are required to close the fuel supply inlet, this is rather troublesome. A proposed torque mechanism to solve this problem is capable of making the tank cap close the fuel supply inlet by a rotation of approximately 90 degrees. In the proposed technique, however, the positional relationship between the cover and the casing main body is gradually shifted in the rotating direction. A rather complicated operation is required for user to position the tank cap in the fuel supply inlet. This results in the poor operability of the tank cap.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is thus to provide a tank cap that closes a tank opening by a single rotating operation and facilitates the positioning in the process of attachment and detachment.
At least part of the above and the other related objects are obtained by a tank cap that opens and closes a tank opening and engages with an opening engagement element disposed on a circumference of the tank opening. The tank cap includes a casing main body that seals the tank opening and has a casing engagement element, which engages with the opening engagement element with a rotation of the casing main body by a predetermined angle; a handle that is rotatably mounted on the casing main body and rotates the casing main body in either one of a closing direction of the tank opening and an opening direction of the tank opening; and a torque mechanism that is interposed between the handle and the casing main body and transmits a rotational torque applied to the handle to the casing main body. The torque mechanism includes a handle engagement element that is disposed on the handle; a torque plate that is interposed between the casing main body and the handle and has a plate engagement element, which engages with the handle engagement element; and a main body engagement element that is disposed on the casing main body and transmits a rotational torque from the torque plate to the casing main body. A state of the plate engagement element is changeable between an engagement state, a first non-engaged state, and a second non-engaged state. When the handle is rotated in the closing direction of the tank opening from a state where the casing engagement element is positioned at the opening engagement element, the plate engagement element falls into the engagement state, where the plate engagement element engages with the handle engagement element and the rotational torque applied to the handle is transmitted to the casing main body. When the casing engagement element of the casing main body engages with the opening engagement element and the rotational torque applied to the handle exceeds a predetermined level, the plate engagement element falls into the first non-engaged state, where the plate engagement element is released from the handle engagement element. When the handle is rotated in the opening direction of the tank opening from the state where the casing engagement element engages with the opening engagement element, the plate engagement element falls into the second non-engaged state, where the plate engagement element is released from the handle engagement element with a smaller rotational torque than the rotational torque required in the first non-engaged state.
In the tank cap of the present invention, the casing engagement element of the casing main body is positioned at the opening engagement element of the tank opening. The handle is then rotated in the closing direction of the tank opening. This enables the casing main body to rotate integrally with the handle via the torque mechanism so that the casing engagement element engages with the opening engagement element. In the engagement state where the plate engagement element of the torque mechanism engages with the handle engagement element of the handle, the plate engagement element transmits the rotational torque applied to the handle to the casing main body. When the casing engagement element engages with the opening engagement element and the rotational torque applied to the handle exceeds a predetermined level, the plate engagement element falls into the first engagement state, where the plate engagement element is released from the handle engagement element with the predetermined rotational torque. This arrangement enables the user to confirm that the tank opening is closed with the tank cap under a predetermined rotational torque.
While the tank cap closes the tank opening, when a rotational torque is applied to the handle in the opening direction of the tank opening, the plate engagement element falls into the second engagement state, where the plate engagement element is released from the handle engagement element with a smaller rotational torque than the rotational torque required in the first engagement state. The restoration force applied to the handle changes the state of the plate engagement element to the second engagement state and returns the positional relationship between the plate engagement element and the handle engagement element to the initial state. This arrangement keeps the positional relationship between the plate engagement element and the handle engagement element in the fixed state at each closing of the tank opening with the tank cap. This facilitates the positioning operation in the process of closing the tank opening.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the torque plate has a cantilevered elastic torque piece with the plate engagement element. In one preferred embodiment, the elastic torque piece has one end that is movable between a non-support position and a support position to be supported by the main body engagement element, thereby changing the state of the plate engagement element between the first non-engaged state and the second nonengaged state. In another preferred embodiment, the elastic torque piece contacts the main body engagement element and transmits a rotational torque applied from the handle engagement element to the casing main body via the main body engagement element. The torque plate having one of these configurations

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