FUEL TANK FILLER NECK ASSEMBLY

• US 20060180241A1
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stant USA Corporation (Vapor Acquisition Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Stant Manufacturing Incorporated
• Inventors: McClung, Chad A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,556,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/285
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2791/001 Shaping in several steps
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2791/006 Using vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/04 Extrusion blow-moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/20 of articles having inserts or reinforcements ; Handling of inserts or reinforcements
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/4242 Means for deforming the parison prior to the blowing operation B29C49/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/4245 aided by air floating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/42806 auxiliary parts to the article, e.g. handle B29C49/42802 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/028 making use of inherent heat, i.e. the heat for the joining comes from the moulding process of one of the parts to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1222 comprising at least a lapped joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1224 comprising at least a butt joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/131 Single flanged joints, i.e. one of the parts to be joined being rigid and flanged in the joint area
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/5344 said single elements being substantially annular, i.e. of finite length, e.g. joining flanges to tube ends B29C66/5346 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/612 Making circumferential joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7234 comprising a barrier layer
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73773 the to-be-joined area of at least one of the parts to be joined being semi-crystalline
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73921 characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/82661 by means of vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8322 Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/06 PE, i.e. polyethylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2059/00 : Use of polyacetals , e.g. POM, i.e. polyoxymethylene or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2077/10 : Aromatic polyamides [polyaramides] or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0079 : Liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0067 : non-permeable
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0069 : non-permeable
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2023/004 : Bent tubes for use as pipe couplings B29L2031/24
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7172 : Fuel tanks, jerry cans
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/04 : Tank inlets B60K15/077 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/1157 : using hooks, pawls, or other movable or insertable locking members

Abstract

A fuel tank filler neck apparatus includes a filler neck and a filler neck component mounted in a fuel-conducting passageway formed in the filler neck. The filler neck component could be a fuel tan inlet check valve or a closure cap mount.

Claims

1. A fuel tank filler neck apparatus comprising

a filler neck comprising a side wall and a filler neck low-permeation layer coupled to an interior surface of the side wall and configured to define a boundary of a fuel-conducting passageway extending through the filler neck, and

a filler neck component comprising a base arranged to lie in the fuel-conducting passageway and a component low-permeation layer coupled to an exterior surface of the base, wherein the filler neck low-permeation layer is made of a first material, the component low-permeation layer is also made of the first material, and the component low-permeation layer is bonded to the filler neck low-permeation layer at a bond joint to retain the filler neck component in a fixed position in the fuel-conducting passageway to establish a low-emission union of the component and filler neck low-permeation layers to provide means for blocking permeation of liquid fuel and fuel vapor extant in the fuel-conducting passageway to atmosphere surrounding the side wall through the component and filler neck low-permeation layers.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filler neck component further comprises a biasing spring and a one-way valve member that cooperate with the base to define a fuel tank inlet check valve located in a lower end of the filler neck to lie in close proximity to a fuel tank associated with the filler neck, the one-way valve member is mounted for sliding movement in a fuel-conducting conduit formed in the base and urged to a conduit-closing position by the biasing spring, and the spring is configured to yield to allow movement of the one-way valve member relative to the base to assume a conduit-opening position allowing flow of incoming liquid fuel to pass from the fuel-conducting passageway defined by the filler neck low-permeation layer into and through the fuel-conducting conduit formed in the base in response to a force applied to the one-way valve member by the incoming liquid fuel flowing toward the fuel tank associated with the filler neck.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filler neck component further comprises a closure cap configured to mate with the base to close an opening into the fuel-conducting passageway defined by the filler neck low-permeation layer, wherein the closure cap includes an annular seal arranged to mate with a portion of the component low-emission layer coupled to an exterior surface of the base and a cap body configured to carry the annular seal and engage the base to establish a sealed connection between the cap body, annular seal, and the component low-emission layer to block discharge of liquid fuel and fuel vapor from the fuel-conducting passageway through a space between the closure cap and the component low-emission layer, and wherein the base cooperates with the filler neck low-emission layer to define a leak-path conduit therebetween that originates and terminates in the fuel-conducting passageway so that any liquid fuel and fuel vapor that flows in the leak-path conduit is emptied into the fuel-conducting passageway and is unable to escape to the atmosphere surrounding the filler neck.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the base includes a nozzle restrictor formed to include a nozzle-receiving aperture sized and adapted to receive a small-diameter unleaded fuel-dispensing pump nozzle and a restrictor anchor coupled to the nozzle restrictor to locate the nozzle-receiving aperture in the fuel-conducting passageway and wherein the component low-permeation layer is coupled to an exterior surface of the restrictor anchor to cause a first portion of the leak-path conduit to lie therebetween.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the restrictor anchor includes a cap-mount sleeve including an interior surface configured to receive and mate with the cap body of the closure cap and an exterior surface coupled to the component low-permeation layer to define the first portion of the leak-path conduit therebetween, the restrictor anchor further includes a restrictor support ring interposed between and coupled to each of the nozzle restrictor and the cap-mount body, the restrictor support ring includes a first exterior surface coupled to the filler neck low-permeation layer to define a second portion of the leak-path conduit therebetween and a second exterior surface coupled to the component low-permeation layer to define a third portion of the leak-path conduit therebetween, the second portion interconnects the first and third portions in fluid communication, and each of the first and third portions are arranged to lie in fluid communication with the fuel-conducting passageway to cause the leak-path conduit to originate and terminate in the fuel-conducting passageway.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the side wall of the filler neck and the filler neck low-permeation layer terminate at axially outer ends thereof and cooperate to define an annular outer end face of the filler neck, the component low-permeation layer includes an annular inner section positioned to lie between portions of the base and the filler neck low-permeation layer and bonded to the filler neck low-permeation layer at the bond joint, and the component low-permeation layer further includes an annular outer section appended to the annular inner section and mated to the annular outer end face of the filler neck.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the annular outer section of the component low-permeation layer is bonded to the axially outer end of the filler neck low-permeation layer at the bond joint.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the base includes an exterior annular side surface coupled to the annular inner section of the component low-permeation layer to cause one leg of a first portion of the leak-path conduit to lie therebetween, the base further includes an exterior annular end surface coupled to the annular outer section of the component low-permeation layer to cause a second leg of the first portion of the leak-path conduit to lie therebetween, and the second leg is arranged to lie in fluid communication with the fuel-conducting passageway.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the base includes a nozzle restrictor formed to include a nozzle-receiving aperture sized and adapted to receive a small-diameter unleaded fuel-dispensing pump nozzle and a restrictor anchor coupled to the nozzle restrictor and configured to include the exterior annular side and end surfaces, the restrictor anchor is also coupled to the filler neck low-permeation layer to cause a second portion of the leak-path conduit to lie therebetween, and the second portion is arranged to lie in fluid communication with the fuel-conducting passageway.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the side wall of the filler neck includes an inner sleeve providing an interior surface and an outer sleeve surrounding the inner sleeve and providing an exterior surface and the interior surface of the inner sleeve is coupled to the filler neck low-permeation layer.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the inner and outer sleeves and the filler neck low-permeation layer terminate at axially outer ends thereof and cooperate to define an annular outer end of the filler neck and the component low-permeation layer is mated to the annular outer end of the filler neck.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the component low-permeation layer includes an annular inner section positioned to lie between portions of the base and the filler neck low-permeation layer and bonded to the filler neck low-permeation layer at the bond joint and an annular outer section appended to the annular inner section and bonded to the axially outer end of the filler neck low-permeation layer at the bond joint.

13. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a second filler neck component comprising a second base arranged to lie in the fuel-conducting passageway and a component low-permeation layer coupled to an exterior surface of the second base, made of the first material, and bonded to the filler neck low-permeation layer at a second bond joint to retain the second filler neck component in a fixed position in the fuel-conducting passageway to establish a low-emission union of the component low-permeation layer of the second filler neck component and the filler neck low-permeation layer to provide means for blocking permeation of liquid fuel and fuel vapor extant in the fuel-conducting passageway to atmosphere surrounding the side wall through the component low-permeation layer of the second filler neck component and the filler neck low-permeation layer.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second filler neck component further comprises a biasing spring and a one-way valve member that cooperate with the second base to define a fuel tank inlet check valve located in a lower end of the filler neck to lie in close proximity to a fuel tank associated with the filler neck, the one-way valve member is mounted for sliding movement in a fuel-conducting conduit formed in the second base and urged to a conduit-closing position by the biasing spring, and the spring is configured to yield to allow movement of the one-way valve member relative to the second base to assume a conduit-opening position allowing flow of incoming liquid fuel to pass from the fuel-conducting passageway defined by the filler neck low-permeation layer into and through the fuel-conducting conduit formed in the second base in response to a force applied to the one-way valve member by the incoming liquid fuel flowing toward the fuel tank associated with the filler neck.

15. A fuel tank filler neck apparatus comprising

a filler neck component formed to include a fuel-conducting conduit,

an annular component low-permeation layer coupled to and arranged to surround an annular exterior surface of the filler neck component,

an annular filler neck low-permeation layer arranged to surround the annular component low-permeation layer and bonded to the component low-permeation layer at a bond joint to establish a low-emission union of the component and filler neck low-permeation layers to provide means for blocking permeation of liquid fuel and fuel vapor extant in a fuel-conducting passageway formed in the annular component low-permeation layer to atmosphere surrounding the filler neck low-permeation layer, and

an annular side wall coupled to and arranged to surround the annular filler neck low-permeation layer to form a filler neck containing the filler neck component.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the component and filler neck low-permeation layer is made of a first material and the annular side wall is made of a second material.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the filler neck component further comprises a biasing spring and a one-way valve member that cooperate with the base to define a fuel tank inlet check valve located in a lower end of the filler neck to lie in close proximity to a fuel tank associated with the filler neck, the one-way valve member is mounted for sliding movement in a fuel-conducting conduit formed in the base and urged to a conduit-closing position by the biasing spring, and the spring is configured to yield to allow movement of the one-way valve member relative to the base to assume a conduit-opening position allowing flow of incoming liquid fuel to pass from the fuel-conducting passageway defined by the filler neck low-permeation layer into and through the fuel-conducting conduit formed in the base in response to a force applied to the one-way valve member by the incoming liquid fuel flowing toward the fuel tank associated with the filler neck.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the filler neck component further comprises a closure cap configured to mate with the base to close an opening into the fuel-conducting passageway defined by the filler neck low-permeation layer, wherein the closure cap includes an annular seal arranged to mate with a portion of the component low-emission layer coupled to an exterior surface of the base and a cap body configured to carry the annular seal and engage the base to establish a sealed connection between the cap body, annular seal, and the component low-emission layer to block discharge of liquid fuel and fuel vapor from the fuel-conducting passageway through a space between the closure cap and the component low-emission layer, and wherein the base cooperates with the filler neck low-emission layer to define a leak-path conduit therebetween that originates and terminates in the fuel-conducting passageway so that any liquid fuel and fuel vapor that flows in the leak-path conduit is emptied into the fuel-conducting passageway and is unable to escape to the atmosphere surrounding the filler neck.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the base includes a nozzle restrictor formed to include a nozzle-receiving aperture sized and adapted to receive a small-diameter unleaded fuel-dispensing pump nozzle and a restrictor anchor coupled to the nozzle restrictor to locate the nozzle-receiving aperture in the fuel-conducting passageway and wherein the component low-permeation layer is coupled to an exterior surface of the restrictor anchor to cause a first portion of the leak-path conduit to lie therebetween.

20. A fuel tank filler neck apparatus comprising

a filler neck having an internal low-permeation layer defining a fuel-conducting passageway and

a filler neck component having an external low-permeation layer bonded to the internal low-permeation of the filler neck to establish a low-emission union therebetween, wherein each of the internal and external low-permeation layers are made of a first material.