Low-profile fuel tank isolation valve
First Claim
1. A fuel vapor management system for an internal combustion engine fuel system wherein fuel vapor generated by the volatization of fuel in a fuel tank is collected in a vapor storage canister that is purged to the engine during conditions conducive to purging, and headspace of the fuel tank is selectively communicated to the vapor storage canister through a tank isolation valve that comprises a valve body and that when open, allows free communication between the tank headspace and the canister so that volatile vapor can pass from the tank to the canister, and when closed, disallows free communication to thereby isolate the tank headspace from the canister, the system comprising:
- an opening in a wall of the tank on which the body of the valve is mounted in enclosing relation to the opening;
the valve further comprising an inlet port communicated to the tank headspace at the opening, an outlet port, and a flow passage through which vapor entering the inlet port from the headspace can be conveyed to the outlet port;
a valve seat circumscribing the flow passage;
a closure for selectively seating on, and unseating from, the valve seat to selectively close, and open, the flow passage;
an operating mechanism comprising an electric actuator that is selectively energized by electric current and an armature that is selectively positioned by the selective energization of the actuator to selectively operate the closure to seat on, and unseat from, the valve seat;
an element that is disposed between the armature and the closure to operatively relate the armature to the closure;
wherein the armature comprises a cylindrical walled tube that is open at opposite axial ends and is selectively positioned within the body along a straight axis coincident with the tube axis, and the element constrains vapor flowing through the flow passage to pass through the armature tube when the closure is unseated from the seat.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A low-profile tank isolation valve mounts on a wall of a fuel tank to enclose an opening in the tank wall through which an inlet port of the valve is communicated to tank headspace. An electric actuator is selectively energized to selectively operate an armature to cause a closure to seat on, and unseat from, a valve seat. The armature is a cylindrical walled tube that is disposed within a central through-hole of the actuator and is selectively positioned along a straight axis coincident with the tube axis. An element that operatively relates the armature to the closure constrains vapor flow through the valve to pass through the armature tube when the closure is unseated. The seat, closure, and element are all disposed within the actuator through-hole.
55 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A fuel vapor management system for an internal combustion engine fuel system wherein fuel vapor generated by the volatization of fuel in a fuel tank is collected in a vapor storage canister that is purged to the engine during conditions conducive to purging, and headspace of the fuel tank is selectively communicated to the vapor storage canister through a tank isolation valve that comprises a valve body and that when open, allows free communication between the tank headspace and the canister so that volatile vapor can pass from the tank to the canister, and when closed, disallows free communication to thereby isolate the tank headspace from the canister, the system comprising:
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an opening in a wall of the tank on which the body of the valve is mounted in enclosing relation to the opening;
the valve further comprising an inlet port communicated to the tank headspace at the opening, an outlet port, and a flow passage through which vapor entering the inlet port from the headspace can be conveyed to the outlet port;
a valve seat circumscribing the flow passage;
a closure for selectively seating on, and unseating from, the valve seat to selectively close, and open, the flow passage;
an operating mechanism comprising an electric actuator that is selectively energized by electric current and an armature that is selectively positioned by the selective energization of the actuator to selectively operate the closure to seat on, and unseat from, the valve seat;
an element that is disposed between the armature and the closure to operatively relate the armature to the closure;
wherein the armature comprises a cylindrical walled tube that is open at opposite axial ends and is selectively positioned within the body along a straight axis coincident with the tube axis, and the element constrains vapor flowing through the flow passage to pass through the armature tube when the closure is unseated from the seat. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13)
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9. A fuel vapor management system for an internal combustion engine fuel system wherein fuel vapor generated by the volatization of fuel in a fuel tank is collected in a vapor storage canister that is purged to the engine during conditions conducive to purging, and headspace of the fuel tank is selectively communicated to the vapor storage canister through a tank isolation valve that comprises a valve body and that when open, allows free communication between the tank headspace and the canister so that volatile vapor can pass from the tank to the canister, and when closed, disallows free communication to thereby isolate the tank headspace from the canister, the system comprising:
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an opening in a wall of the tank on which the body of the valve is mounted in enclosing relation to the opening;
the valve further comprising an inlet port communicated to the tank headspace at the opening, an outlet port, and a flow passage through which vapor entering the inlet port from the headspace can be conveyed to the outlet port;
a valve seat circumscribing the flow passage;
a closure for selectively seating on, and unseating from, the valve seat to selectively close, and open, the flow passage;
an operating mechanism comprising an electromagnet coil that is disposed about a central through-hole and is selectively energized by electric current to selectively position an armature coaxially with respect to the central through-hole to cause the closure to seat on, and unseat from, the valve seat;
wherein the seat and the closure are disposed within the central through-hole, and the armature comprises a through-passage having opposite ends, one of which is disposed within the through-hole and is toward the closure and the other of which is toward one of the ports, to provide for gases that pass from the inlet port to the outlet port when the closure is unseated from the seat to pass through the armature through-passage. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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14. A valve for selectively venting headspace of a fuel tank in an automotive vehicle having an engine that is powered by volatile fuel stored in the tank, the valve comprising:
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a body having an inlet port adapted to be communicated to the tank headspace, an outlet port, and a vent passage between the ports;
a valve seat circumscribing the passage;
a closure for selectively seating on, and unseating from, the seat to selectively close, and open, the passage;
an operating mechanism comprising an electric actuator that is selectively energized by electric current and an armature that is selectively positioned by the selective energization of the actuator to selectively operate the closure to seat on, and unseat from, the seat;
wherein the armature comprises a through-passage having opposite ends, one of which is toward the closure and the other of which is toward one of the ports; and
an element that is disposed between the armature and the closure to operatively relate the armature to the closure and that, when the closure is unseated from the seat, constrains flow between the ports to pass through the through-passage in the armature. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A valve for selectively venting headspace of a fuel tank in an automotive vehicle having an engine that is powered by volatile fuel stored in the tank, the valve comprising:
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a body having an inlet port adapted to be communicated to the tank headspace, an outlet port, and a vent passage between the ports;
a valve seat circumscribing the passage;
a closure for selectively seating on, and unseating from, the seat to selectively close, and open, the passage;
an operating mechanism comprising an electric actuator comprising an electromagnet coil that is disposed about a central through-hole and is selectively energized by electric current to selectively position an armature with respect to the central through-hole to cause the closure to seat on, and unseat from, the seat;
wherein the seat and the closure are disposed within the central through-hole, and the armature comprises a through-passage having opposite ends, one of which is disposed within the through-hole and is toward the closure and the other of which is toward one of the ports, to provide for flow through the passage to pass through the through-passage in the armature when the closure is unseated from seat. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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Specification