Apparatus for preventing discharge of fuel vapor

• US 5,080,421 A
• Filed: 03/21/1990
• Issued: 01/14/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Okada, Kazuhiro, Kaneko, Tadao, Sawada, Kazuhisa, Otowa, Hidekazu, Sonoda, Hidefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nozick, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US07/496,995
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 55/387, 296/97.22, 123/519
• US Class Current: 296/97.22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03504 adapted to avoid loss of fuel or fuel vapour, e.g. with vapour recovery systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/05 Inlet covers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0576 with actuator fixed to the vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 53/005 Bowden
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/34 for fuel inlet covers essentially flush with the vehicle surface

Abstract

An apparatus for preventing discharge of fuel vapor to the atmosphere by allowing fuel vapor in a fuel tank to be adsorbed by an adsorbing device when a fuel lid is opened. A switch is turned on by the movement of a locking member for locking and unlocking the fuel lid so as to detect the opening of the fuel lid. The arrangement facilitates adjustment of the relative positions of the switch and the locking member. In addition, the switch is turned on when the fuel lid is opened by remote control, while the switch is turned off when the fuel lid is manually closed. The discharge of fuel vapor to the atmosphere during refueling and the influx of fuel vapor into the adsorbing device after the charging of fuel are prevented.

Claims

1. An apparatus for preventing discharge of fuel vapor from a fuel tank mounted within a vehicle, the fuel tank having a fuel inlet aligned with an exterior opening in the vehicle and a cap for opening and closing the fuel tank inlet, comprising:

adsorbing means mounted to the vehicle for adsorbing fuel vapor from said fuel tank;

communicating means connecting said adsorbing means and said fuel tank for transferring the fuel vapor from said fuel tank to said adsorbing means when in an open position and for isolating the adsorbing means from the fuel tank when in a closed position;

a fuel lid pivotably mounted to the vehicle adjacent the vehicle exterior opening and being movable between an open and closed position for uncovering and covering the exterior opening in the vehicle;

lid locking means mounted to the vehicle and said fuel lid moving between a locking position for holding said fuel lid in a closed position and an unlocking position for releasing said fuel lid to the open position;

switching means disposed adjacent an end of said lid locking means responsive to the movement of said lid locking means between said locking position and said unlocking position for controlling said communicating means between the open and closed position;

closing means operably connected to said communicating means electrically controlled by said switching means for closing said communicating means when said lid locking means is in said locking position; and

lid opening means movably attached to said lid locking means and including a control mechanism remotely disposed in the vehicle from the lid locking means for remotely opening said lid locking means in interlocking relation with the operation of said switching means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said switching means includes a pushbutton switch operated by the movement of said lid locking means from said locking position to said unlocking position, and reset by the movement of said lid locking means between said unlocking position and said locking position.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said lid locking means includes supporting means having a shaft portion reciprocably mounted to said fuel lid, said supporting means fixedly supporting said switching means for operation upon movement of said lid locking means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said supporting means comprises a cylindrical member for slidably supporting said shaft portion of said lid locking means, and a mounting portion for fixedly mounting said cylindrical member and said switching means on said supporting means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said lid opening means comprises a first lever disposed in a vehicle compartment, and a second lever pivotally mounted, at an intermediate portion, on said supporting means in the vicinity of said lid locking means, a first connecting end and a second connecting end, said first connecting end of said second lever being connected to said first lever by a wire, and said second end of said second lever being operably connected to said lid locking means for reciprocatively moving said lid locking means.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising urging means for urging said second lever in a predetermined direction for moving said lid locking means toward said locking position.