FUEL TANK

• US 20080264501A1
• Filed: 04/23/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Motor Power Products Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Motor Power Products Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Akihiro, Kajiya, Shinichi, Sugiyama, Tkahide
• Granted Patent: US 7,891,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/590
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 63/04 for electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0854 Details of the absorption canister
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/0082 Devices inside the fuel tank other than fuel pumps or filters electrical pumps submerged in fuel tanks F02M37/10, jet pumps F02M37/025
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86348 Tank with internally extending flow guide, pipe or conduit

Abstract

A fuel tank has a tank body and a fuel inlet projecting upwardly from the tank body. The fuel tank includes a cylindrical member extending into the tank body, a canister, and a discharging passage in communication with the canister housing an adsorbent for absorbing fuel vapor from the fuel tank. A space between an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical member and an inner circumferential surface of the fuel inlet is hermetically sealed by a seal. The cylindrical member has a passage for communicating an inside of the cylindrical member with a portion of an outside of the cylindrical member that is lower than the hermetically sealed space. The passage allows air in the tank body to enter the fuel inlet when fuel overflows from the fuel inlet, thereby inhibiting flow of fuel into the canister through the discharging passage.

Claims

1. A fuel tank, comprising:

a tank body for storing fuel therein, a fuel inlet extending upwardly from a top face of the tank body;

a fuel cap configured to be removably installed on the fuel inlet;

a cylindrical member having a lower end that is open at a position lower than a top face of the tank body and projecting downwardly in the fuel inlet, with a space between an outer circumferential surface of an upper end portion of the cylindrical member and an inner circumferential surface of the fuel inlet being maintained in a hermetically sealed state,

the cylindrical member having, in an upper end portion of the cylindrical member, a communicating passage for bringing an inside of the cylindrical member into communication with a portion of an outside of the cylindrical member, the portion being lower than the hermetically sealed space, the communicating passage extending substantially vertically; and

a canister for adsorbing fuel vapor in the tank body thereonto, and a discharging passage of a discharging member being in communication with the canister, the discharging member having an opening in the cylindrical member at a position higher than the lower end of the cylindrical member.

2. The fuel tank of claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the cylindrical member is partially dented to form an upwardly-facing face portion, the communicating passage being formed in the face portion.

3. The fuel tank of claim 1, further comprising an annular seal disposed between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical member and the inner circumferential surface of the fuel inlet, the seal configured to hermetically seal the space between the outer circumferential surface of the upper end portion of the cylindrical member and the inner circumferential surface of the fuel inlet.

4. The fuel tank of claim 1, further comprising an annular member having a flange externally formed around an upper edge of the annular member and an opening in a lower end portion thereof, wherein the cylindrical member is disposed in the annular member, the flange of the annular member attached to the top face of the tank body with the cylindrical member disposed in the annular member, wherein a cavity is defined between the top face of the tank body and the flange of the annular member, the cavity configured to communicate a space outside of the annular member with the communicating passage.

5. A fuel tank, comprising:

a tank body for storing fuel therein;

a fuel inlet extending upwardly from a top face of the tank body, the fuel inlet removably coupleable to a fuel cap;

a cylindrical member positioned in the tank body, the cylindrical member having a distal end positioned below a top face of the tank body, an outer surface of the cylindrical member being sealed relative to an inner surface of the fuel inlet, the cylindrical member having a communicating passage configured to communicate an inside of the cylindrical member with an outside portion of the cylindrical member, said outside portion being lower than the sealed space; and

a discharge member coupleable with a canister for adsorbing vapor fuel thereonto, the discharge member defining a discharging passage therein placeable in communication with the canister, the discharge member disposed inwardly of the cylindrical member and having an opening positioned higher than a lower end of the cylindrical member.

6. The fuel tank of claim 5, wherein the communicating passage extends substantially vertically.

7. The fuel tank of claim 5, further comprising an annular seal disposed between the outer surface of the cylindrical member and the inner surface of the fuel inlet, the seal configured to hermetically seal the space between the outer surface of the cylindrical member and the inner surface of the fuel inlet.

8. A fuel tank, comprising:

a tank body for storing fuel therein;

a fuel inlet extending upwardly from a top face of the tank body, the fuel inlet removably coupleable to a fuel cap;

means for allowing air in the tank body to enter the fuel inlet when fuel is oversupplied into and overflows from the fuel inlet, thereby causing the air to escape out of the fuel inlet so that a fuel level in the fuel inlet declines and a fuel level in the tank body rises.

9. The fuel tank of claim 8, wherein said means includes means for communicating a portion of the tank body holding air and the fuel inlet.