IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0266988
(2014-05-01)
|
등록번호 |
US-9688135
(2017-06-27)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
1 인용 특허 :
17 |
초록
▼
A fuel cap includes a filler-neck closure adapted to mate with a filler neck to close a mouth opening into a fuel-conducting passageway formed in the filler neck. The filler-neck closure includes a vacuum-relief valve and a handle arranged to overlie the filler-neck closure and gripped by a user dur
A fuel cap includes a filler-neck closure adapted to mate with a filler neck to close a mouth opening into a fuel-conducting passageway formed in the filler neck. The filler-neck closure includes a vacuum-relief valve and a handle arranged to overlie the filler-neck closure and gripped by a user during removal of the fuel cap from the filler neck.
대표청구항
▼
1. A fuel vapor transfer system comprising a filler-neck closure including a closure body adapted to be extended into a fuel-conducting passageway formed in a fuel-tank filler neck, the closure body being formed to include a vent aperture adapted to communicate with the fuel-conducting passageway fo
1. A fuel vapor transfer system comprising a filler-neck closure including a closure body adapted to be extended into a fuel-conducting passageway formed in a fuel-tank filler neck, the closure body being formed to include a vent aperture adapted to communicate with the fuel-conducting passageway formed in the fuel-tank filler neck when the closure body is mounted on the fuel-tank filler neck, the closure body also being formed to include an interior chamber arranged to lie in fluid communication with the vent aperture formed in the closure body, the filler-neck closure also including an upper O-ring seal arranged to surround and mate with the closure body and adapted to mate with the fuel-tank filler neck and cooperate with the closure body to close a filler-neck mouth opening into the fuel-conducting passageway formed in the fuel-tank filler-neck and a vacuum-relief valve mounted in the closure body for movement relative to the closure body from a normally closed position blocking flow of pressurized fuel vapor extant in the fuel-tank filler neck through the vent aperture into the interior chamber of the closure body to an opened position allowing flow of air from the atmosphere into the fuel-tank filler neck in response to exposure of the vacuum-relief valve to fuel vapor extant in the fuel-tank filler neck and characterized by negative pressure in excess of a predetermined negative pressure,a closure cover arranged to overlie the filler-neck closure and to be gripped by a user and supported for movement relative to the filler-neck closure, anda valve mover coupled to the vacuum-relief valve and arranged to move the vacuum-relief valve from the normally closed position to the opened position in response to movement of the closure cover relative to the filler-neck closure, wherein the closure body also includes a side wall adapted to be surrounded by an interior surface of the fuel-tank filler neck when the closure body mates with the fuel-tank filler neck and the side wall of the closure body is formed to include a vent channel having a channel inlet opening into the interior chamber formed in the closure body and a channel outlet adapted to open into the fuel-conducting passageway formed in the fuel-tank filler neck when the closure body and the upper O-ring seal mate with the fuel-tank filler neck to close the filler-neck mouth opening into the fuel-conducting passageway formed in the fuel-tank filler neck. 2. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 1, wherein the closure body includes an upper portion adjacent to the closure cover, a lower portion arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the upper portion, and a middle portion located between the upper and lower portions, the upper O-ring seal is coupled to the middle portion of the closure body, the filler-neck closure further includes a lower O-ring seal coupled to the lower portion of the closure body to locate the upper O-ring seal between a top wall of the closure cover and the lower O-ring seal, the lower O-ring seal is configured to provide means for sealing against an interior surface of the fuel tank filler neck when the closure body is mounted on the fuel-tank filler neck to close the filler-neck mouth to cooperate with the upper O-ring seal to establish a sealed vapor-transfer chamber bounded by a portion of the side wall included in the middle portion of the closure body and formed to include the channel outlet, the upper O-ring seal, a portion of the interior surface of the fuel-tank filler neck, and the lower O-ring seal so that any pressurized fuel vapor that is discharged from the vent channel formed in the closure body through the channel outlet flows into the sealed vapor-transfer chamber provided outside the closure body. 3. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 2, further comprising a fuel-tank filler neck adapted to be coupled in fluid communication to a fuel tank and formed to include a fuel-conducting passageway, wherein the upper and lower O-ring seals mounted on the closure body are arranged to engage an interior surface of the fuel-tank filler neck when the closure body and upper O-ring seal mate with the fuel-tank filler neck to establish a sealed vapor-transfer chamber bounded by the portion of the side wall included in the middle portion of the closure body and formed to include the channel outlet, the upper O-ring seal, a portion of the interior surface of the fuel tank filler neck, and the lower O-ring seal, and wherein the fuel-tank filler neck is formed to include a vent port opening into the sealed vapor-transfer chamber, and further comprising a vapor conduit configured to conduct pressurized fuel vapor discharged from the sealed vapor-transfer chamber into the vent port formed in the fuel-tank filler neck to a vapor-recovery canister. 4. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 3, wherein the sealed vapor-transfer chamber has an annular shape and surrounds the closure body of the filler-neck closure. 5. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 2, wherein the valve mover is arranged to extend into the interior chamber formed in the closure body and to move in the interior chamber relative to the closure body and the valve mover includes a plate mounted for up-and-down movement in the interior chamber between a chamber ceiling and a chamber floor, a plunger coupled to an underside of the plate to move therewith and formed to include a distal tip arranged to face toward the vacuum-relief valve when the vacuum-relief valve occupies the normally closed position, and means for moving the plunger downwardly in the interior chamber away from the closure cover to move the vacuum-relief valve from the normally closed position to an opened position in response to rotation of the closure cover in a cap-removal direction about an axis of rotation relative to the closure body while the closure body and the upper O-ring seal mate with the fuel-tank filler neck and the lower O-ring seal mates with the fuel-tank filler neck to form the sealed vapor-transfer chamber to vent any pressurized fuel vapor extant in the fuel-conducting passageway formed in the fuel-tank filler neck through the vent aperture formed in the closure body, past the vacuum-relief valve and into the interior chamber, through the vent channel formed in the closure body and into the sealed vapor-transfer chamber provided outside of the closure body, and through the vent port formed in the fuel-tank filler neck and into the vapor conduit for delivery to a vapor-recovery canister without disrupting movement of the vacuum-relief valve to the opened position in response to exposure of the vacuum-relief valve to fuel vapor extant in the fuel-tank filler neck and characterized by negative pressure in excess of the predetermined negative pressure. 6. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 5, further comprising spring means located in the interior chamber formed in the closure body for yieldably urging the valve mover to move relative to the closure body in an upward direction toward the closure cover to a raised inactive position separated from the vacuum-relief valve. 7. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 6, wherein the closure body includes a chamber floor formed to include the vent aperture, the spring means is arranged to engage an upwardly facing surface included in the chamber floor and arranged to define a boundary of the interior chamber, and the vacuum-relief valve is arranged to engage a downwardly facing surface included in the chamber floor upon movement of the vacuum-relief valve to assume the normally closed position, and the spring means is formed to include open space through which pressurized fuel vapor flows as the pressurized fuel vapor flows through the interior chamber from the vent aperture formed in the chamber floor to the channel inlet formed in the side wall of the closure body. 8. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 5, wherein the closure body further includes an annular valve seat arranged to surround the vent aperture and lie outside the interior chamber, the vacuum-relief valve includes a first valve member arranged to engage the annular valve seat when the vacuum-relief valve is moved to assume the closed position and formed to include a central stem-receiving aperture, a first position-control spring system coupled to the closure body and arranged to urge the first valve member normally to engage the annular valve seat, a second valve member arranged to lie between the valve mover and the first valve member, a guide stem coupled to the first valve member and arranged to extend through the central stem-receiving aperture formed in the first valve member, and a second position-control spring system coupled to the first valve member and the guide stem and arranged to urge the second valve member normally to engage the first valve member to close the central stem-receiving aperture, and wherein the plunger is arranged to move in the interior chamber formed in the closure body to engage the second valve member of the vacuum-relief valve to move the vacuum-relief valve from the normally closed position to the opened position in response to rotation of the closure cover in the cap-removal direction about the axis of rotation. 9. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 8, further comprising a coiled compression spring located in the interior chamber of the closure body and arranged to surround the plunger of the valve mover and engage the chamber floor of the closure body and the plate of the valve mover and the coiled spring is formed to include open space through which pressurized fuel vapor flows as pressurized fuel vapor flows through the interior chamber from the vent aperture formed in the chamber floor to the channel inlet formed in the side wall of the closure body. 10. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 2, wherein the filler-neck closure further includes an exterior thread coupled to an exterior surface of the portion of the side wall included in the middle portion of the closure body and the channel outlet is formed to lie between the upper O-ring seal and the exterior thread. 11. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 2, wherein the vacuum-relief valve includes a large-diameter first valve member formed to include a topside exterior surface facing upwardly toward the closure cover, an underside exterior surface facing downwardly away from the closure cover, and a central stem-receiving aperture having an opening in each of the topside and underside exterior surfaces, a first position-control spring system coupled to the closure body and arranged to engage the underside exterior surface of the large-diameter first valve member yieldably to urge the large-diameter first valve member to engage an annular valve seat formed in the closure body to surround the vent aperture, a small-diameter second valve member arranged to lie between the large-diameter first valve member and the valve mover, a guide stem coupled to an underside of the small-diameter second valve member and to extend downwardly through the central stem-receiving aperture formed in the large-diameter first valve member to allow relative movement between the small-diameter and large-diameter valve members, and a second position-control spring system coupled to the large-diameter valve member and the guide stem and configured yieldably to urge the small-diameter second valve member to engage the topside exterior surface of the large-diameter first valve member normally to block flow of pressurized fuel vapor into the interior chamber formed in the closure body through the vent aperture until the underside of the small-diameter second valve member is exposed to fuel vapor extant in the valve aperture formed in the closure body and characterized by positive pressure in excess of a predetermined positive pressure, and the valve mover includes a plunger located in the interior chamber formed in the closure body and arranged to face toward a topside exterior surface of the small-diameter second valve member when the large-diameter first valve member occupies a normally closed position engaging the annular valve seat to block flow of fuel vapor through the vent aperture and to move downwardly in the interior chamber away from the closure cover to move the large-diameter first valve member to disengage the annular valve seat to cause the vacuum-relief valve to move from the normally closed position to an opened position in response to movement of the closure cover in a cap-removal direction relative to the closure body. 12. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 1, wherein the closure body includes a chamber floor formed to include the vent aperture and define an annular valve seat arranged to surround the vent aperture and mate with the vacuum-relief valve when the vacuum-relief valve is in the normally closed position, a sleeve arranged to extend upwardly from the chamber floor to define a portion of the side wall included in the middle portion of the closure body and formed to include the vent channel, and a chamber ceiling coupled to the sleeve and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the chamber floor to define the interior chamber therebetween. 13. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 12, the valve mover is mounted for up-and-down movement in the interior chamber formed in the closure body from a raised position arranged to lie in close proximity to the closure cover in a downward direction away from the closure cover toward the chamber floor to a lowered position arranged to move the vacuum-relief valve from the normally closed position to the opened position. 14. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 13, further comprising spring means located in the interior chamber for yieldably urging the valve mover from the opened position toward the normally closed position without blocking flow of pressurized fuel vapor entering the interior chamber through the vent aperture formed in the floor from exiting the interior chamber through the vent channel formed in the side wall. 15. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 14, wherein the spring means is a helically wound coiled compression spring formed to include a helically winding gap through which pressurized fuel vapor flows during passage through the interior chamber from the vent aperture formed in the chamber floor to the vent channel formed in the side wall. 16. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 14, wherein the valve mover includes a horizontal plate arranged for up-and-down movement in a region of the interior chamber bounded by the sleeve, an upstanding post coupled to a topside of the horizontal plate and arranged to extend upwardly toward a top wall of the closure cover, and a depending plunger coupled to an underside of the horizontal plate and arranged to extend downwardly toward the vacuum-relief valve through a cavity formed in the spring means. 17. A fuel vapor transfer system comprising a filler-neck closure including a closure body, an upper O-ring seal coupled to an exterior surface of the closure body, and a lower O-ring seal coupled to the exterior surface of the closure body and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the upper O-ring seal, the closure body including a side wall arranged to lie between the upper and lower O-ring seals and to be surrounded by a fuel-tank filler neck when the filler-neck closure is mounted on the fuel-tank filler neck, the closure body being formed to include an interior chamber, a vent aperture opening into the interior chamber and adapted to communicate with a fuel-conducting passageway formed in a fuel-tank filler neck when the filler-neck closure is mounted on the fuel-tank filler neck, and an annular valve seat located outside of the interior chamber and arranged to surround the vent aperture, the filler-neck closure also including a vacuum-relief valve mounted in the closure body for movement relative to the closure body from a normally closed position blocking flow of pressurized fuel vapor extant in the fuel-tank filler neck through the vent aperture into the interior chamber of the closure body to an opened position allowing flow of air into the fuel-tank filler neck in response to exposure of the vacuum-relief valve to fuel vapor extant in the fuel-tank filler neck and characterized by negative pressure in excess of a predetermined negative pressure, wherein the upper O-ring seal, the lower O-ring seal, and the side wall therebetween cooperate to form means for cooperating with the fuel-tank filler neck to form a sealed vapor-transfer chamber when the filler-neck closure is mounted on the fuel-tank filler neck, and the side wall of the closure body is formed to include a vent channel to conduct pressurized fuel vapor that has been admitted into the interior chamber through the vent aperture when the vacuum-relief valve is moved to the opened position into the sealed vapor-transfer chamber. 18. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 17, further comprising a fuel-tank filler neck formed to include a vent port opening into the sealed vapor-transfer chamber to communicate with pressurized fuel vapor extant therein and a vapor conduit configured to conduct pressurized fuel vapor discharged from the sealed vapor-transfer chamber into the vent port to a vapor-recovery canister. 19. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 18, wherein the fuel-tank filler neck includes a threaded section, the closure body includes a threaded section configured to mate with the threaded section of the filler neck to retain the filler-neck closure in a mounted position in the fuel-conducting passageway formed in the fuel-tank filler neck, and the threaded section of the closure body is formed to include a channel outlet opening into the vent channel and communicating with the sealed vapor-transfer chamber. 20. The fuel vapor transfer system of claim 18, wherein the fuel-tank filler neck is formed to include a filler-neck mouth opening into the fuel-conducting passageway and the vent port is arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the filler-neck mouth to locate the threaded section of the fuel-tank filler neck therebetween.
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