Fuel tank

• US 6,293,420 B1
• Filed: 10/26/1999
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kautex Textron GmbH & Company KG (Textron Inc)
• Original Assignee: Kautex Textron GmbH & Company KG (Textron Inc)
• Inventors: Acker, Michael, Richter, Benno
• Primary Examiner(s): CASTELLANO, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US09/427,222
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 220/563, 220/564, 220/562, 220/501, 137/571, 137/574, 137/576
• US Class Current: 220/563
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03177 made of non-metallic material, e.g. plastics, or of a combination of non-metallic and metallic material B60K15/03006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/077 with means modifying or controlling distribution or motion of fuel, e.g. to prevent noise, surge, splash or fuel starvation
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0344 comprising baffles

Abstract

A fuel tank for a motor vehicle is provided in its interior with a component for reducing fuel surge movements. To avoid troublesome noises produced by fuel movement the component comprises a wall element at a spacing from the end of the tank that is the front end or the rear end in the direction of travel. The wall element extends at least over a substantial part of the height and the width of the tank and is so shaped that the wall element surfaces extend at least predominantly not in planes which extend perpendicularly to the direction of travel, to prevent fuel from impacting unimpededly against those surfaces perpendicularly thereto. Those surfaces thus represent divisions in the fuel tank. The volume of the fuel between the wall element and the respective tank wall surface to be shielded is not sufficient to produce noises which are a nuisance when travel movements occur.

Claims

1. A fuel tank for a motor vehicle, said fuel tank comprising:

a first end and a second end that in the direction of vehicle travel are a front end and a rear end respectively;

two wall elements in the tank interior for reducing fuel surge movement therein, the wall elements being arranged within the tank at a spacing from said ends of the tank and extending at least over the major part of the height and the width of the tank and being of such a shape that their boundary surfaces extend across the tank at least predominantly not in planes which extend perpendicularly to said direction of travel;

a discharge opening within the wall elements; and

a surge pot within the wall elements in the vicinity of the discharge opening.

2. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wall elements are of a curved configuration in a plane which is parallel to the direction of travel.

3. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 2 wherein said plane extends horizontally.

4. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wall elements are provided with openings.

5. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 4 wherein said openings are holes in said wall elements.

6. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 4 wherein said openings are edge recesses in said wall elements.

7. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 1 comprising

a respective surge-reducing component constituting each of said two wall elements operatively associated with each of said front end and said rear end of said tank.

8. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 1, wherein the two wall elements are constituted by a single surge-reducing component.

9. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 8, wherein said profile portion is a tube portion having a longitudinal axis which extends substantially perpendicularly to said direction of travel.

10. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 8, wherein the surge-reducing component is arranged loosely in the fuel tank.

11. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 8, wherein the surge-reducing component is produced in one piece in a blow molding process from thermoplastic material.

12. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 1, wherein the wall elements comprise elastic material.

13. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 1, wherein the wall elements comprise plastic material.

14. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wall elements are adapted to the contours of the tank.

15. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wall elements are introduced into the fuel tank in the production thereof.

16. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 15 wherein the wall elements at least partially comprise a material which is weldable to the material of which the tank at least partially consists, and are secured to the wall of the tank by means of a welded join during production of the tank.

17. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 15 wherein said material of the wall elements is thermoplastic material.

18. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 17 wherein the tank has a bottom wall and the wall elements are connected to the bottom wall of the fuel tank.

19. A fuel tank as set forth in claim 17 wherein the tank has at least one side wall and the wall elements are connected to said at least one side wall of the tank.

20. A fuel tank for a motor vehicle, said fuel tank comprising:

a first end and a second end that in the direction of vehicle travel are a front end and a rear end respectively;

two wall elements in the tank interior for reducing fuel surge movement therein, the wall elements being arranged within the tank at a spacing from said ends of the tank and extending at least over the major part of the height and the width of the tank and being of such a shape that their boundary surfaces extend across the tank at least predominantly not in planes which extend perpendicularly to said direction of travel;

a discharge opening within the wall elements; and

a surge pot within the wall elements in the vicinity of the discharge opening;

wherein the wall elements are of a curved configuration in a plane which is parallel to the direction of travel; and

wherein the wall elements and respective adjacent wall portions of the fuel tank meet at an acute angle at the side of the respective wall element that is towards the nearer of said front end and said rear end of said tank.

21. A fuel tank for a motor vehicle, said fuel tank comprising:

a first end and a second end that in the direction of vehicle travel are a front end and a rear end respectively;

two wall elements in the tank interior for reducing fuel surge movement therein, the wall elements being arranged within the tank at a spacing from said ends of the tank and extending at least over the major part of the height and the width of the tank and being of such a shape that their boundary surfaces extend across the tank at least predominantly not in planes which extend perpendicularly to said direction of travel;

a discharge opening within the wall elements; and

a surge pot within the wall elements in the vicinity of the discharge opening;

wherein the two wall elements are constituted by a single surge-reducing component that is arranged in a prestressed condition in the tank.