Fuel tank pressure control valve

• US 6,612,338 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2001
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Gillier, William Charles, Weldon, Craig Andrew, Cook, John Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Buiz, Michael Powell
• Assistant Examiner(s): Krishnamurthy, Ramesh
• Application Number:
  US09/863,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20020185181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 137/529, 137/628, 137/629, 137/630.19, 137/587, 137/589, 141/59, 123/518, 123/519, 123/520, 220/86.2, 251/129.01, 251/129.15
• US Class Current: 137/630.19
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/44 Details of seats or valve members of double-seat valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/265 with a sleeve sliding in the direction of the flow line
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/0655 Lift valves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7905 Plural biasing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8634 With vented outlet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86936 Pressure equalizing or auxiliary shunt flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87016 Lost motion

Abstract

A valve structure that comprises a housing and a valve. The housing includes a first fluid communication passage between a first port and a second port. The valve is movable with respect to the housing between a first configuration, a second configuration, and an intermediate configuration between the first and second configurations. The first configuration permits substantially unrestricted fluid flow between the first and second ports. The second configuration substantially prevents fluid flow between the first and second ports. And the intermediate configuration provides restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports. The valve includes a first valve element and a second valve element. The first valve element includes a second fluid communication passage providing the restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports. The second valve element is positionable in first and second positions with respect to the first valve element. The first position of the second valve element substantially permits the restricted fluid flow through the second fluid communication passage. And the second location of the second valve substantially prevents the restricted fluid flow through the second fluid communication passage.

Claims

1. A valve structure comprising:

a housing including a first fluid communication passage between a first port and a second port;

a valve movable with respect to the housing between a first configuration, a second configuration, and a third configuration between the first and second configurations, the first configuration permitting substantially unrestricted fluid flow between the first and second ports, the second configuration substantially preventing fluid flow between the first and second ports, and the third configuration providing restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports, the valve including;

a first valve element including a second fluid communication passage providing the restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports, and

a second valve element positionable between first and second locations with respect to the first valve element, the first location of the second valve element substantially permitting the restricted fluid flow through the second fluid communication passage including at least one radial aperture penetrating the first valve element, and the second location of the second valve element occluding the at least one radial aperture and substantially preventing the restricted fluid flow through the second fluid communication passage; and

a first resilient element biasing the valve toward the first configuration.

2. The valve structure according to claim 1, further comprising:

an actuator displacing the first valve element against the bias of the first resilient element.

3. The valve structure according to claim 2, wherein the actuator comprises an electromagnetic solenoid.

4. A valve structure comprising:

a housing including a first fluid communication passage between a first port and a second port;

a valve movable with respect to the housing between a first configuration, a second configuration, and an intermediate configuration between the first and second configurations, the first configuration permitting substantially unrestricted fluid flow between the first and second ports, the second configuration substantially preventing fluid flow between the first and second ports, and the intermediate configuration providing restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports, the valve including;

a first valve element including a second fluid communication passage providing the restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports; and

a second valve element positionable between first and second locations with respect to the first valve element, the first location of the second valve element substantially permitting the restricted fluid flow through the second fluid communication passage, and the second location of the second valve element substantially preventing the restricted fluid flow through the second fluid communication passage;

a first resilient member biasing the valve toward the first configuration; and

an actuator displacing the first valve element against the bias of the first resilient member, the actuator including an electromagnetic solenoid that operates via a power device such that there is an approximately zero percent power level when the valve is in the first configuration, there is an approximately fifty percent power level when the valve is in the intermediate configuration, and there is an approximately one-hundred percent power level when the valve is in the second configuration.

5. A valve structure comprising:

a housing including a first fluid communication passage between a first port and a second port;

a valve movable with respect to the housing between a first configuration, a second configuration, and an intermediate configuration between the first and second configurations, the first configuration permitting substantially unrestricted fluid flow between the first and second ports, the second configuration substantially preventing fluid flow between the first and second ports, and the intermediate configuration providing restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports, the valve including;

a first valve element including a second fluid communication passage providing the restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports; and

a second valve element positionable between first and second locations with respect to the first valve element, the first location of the second valve element substantially permitting the restricted fluid flow through the second fluid communication passage, and the second location of the second valve element substantially preventing the restricted fluid flow through the second fluid communication passage;

a first resilient member biasing the valve toward the first configuration; and

a second resilient element biasing the second valve element toward the first second valve element location with respect to the first valve element.

6. The valve structure according to claim 5, wherein the first and second resilient elements comprise coil springs having coincidental central axes.

7. A valve structure comprising:

a housing including a first fluid communication passage between a first port and a second port; and

a valve movable with respect to the housing between a first configuration, a second configuration, and an intermediate configuration between the first and second configurations, the first configuration permitting substantially unrestricted fluid flow between the first and second ports, the second configuration substantially preventing fluid flow between the first and second ports, and the intermediate configuration providing restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports, the valve including;

a first valve element positionable between first and second locations with respect to a second valve element, the first location of the first valve element substantially permitting the restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports through a second fluid communication passage, and the second location of the first valve element substantially preventing the restricted fluid flow through the second fluid communication passage; and

a second valve element including the second fluid communication passage, the second valve element including first and second radial projections, the first radial projection supporting the first valve element in the first location, and the second radial projection constraining displacement of the first valve element from the first location toward the second location.

8. The valve structure according to claim 7, wherein the first radial projection comprises a snap ring.

9. The valve structure according to claim 7, wherein the second valve element comprises a first tube extending along the axis between the first and second radial projections, and the first valve element comprises a second tube and a flange, the second tube telescopically surrounding the first tube.

10. The valve structure according to claim 9, further comprising:

a seal at an interface of the housing and the flange of the first valve element.

11. The valve structure according to claim 7, wherein the second fluid communication passage comprises at least one orifice penetrating the second valve element and providing the restricted fluid flow between the first and second ports.

12. A valve for controlling fuel vapor pressure in a fuel tank, the valve comprising:

a housing including an inlet port and an outlet port;

an electromagnetic actuator including a stator and an armature, the stator being fixed with respect to the housing, and the armature being displacable along an axis with respect to the stator;

a first body being fixed to the armature and being displacable along the axis with respect to the housing, the first body including;

a conduit extending along the axis between first and second ends, the conduit having an interior volume in fluid communication with the inlet port via the first end,

a projection extending radially outward from the first end,

an end cap occluding the second end and projecting radially outward from the conduit, and

at least one radial aperture penetrating the conduit the at least one radial aperture being located proximate the second end relative to the first end;

a second body being displacable along the axis with respect to the housing and being telescopically disposed with respect to the first body, the second body including;

a tube being displacable with respect to the conduit between the end cap and the projection, and

a flange extending radially outward from the tube, the flange being located proximate the first end of the conduit relative to the second end of the conduit;

a first resilient element extending between the end cap and the flange, the first resilient element biasing the second body toward the first end of the conduit; and

a second resilient element extending between the first body and the housing, the second resilient element opposing an actuating force of the electromagnetic actuator;

whereby there are a plurality of configurations of the first and second bodies with respect to the housing, the plurality of configurations including;

a first configuration permitting substantially unrestricted fuel vapor flow from the inlet port to the outlet port, the first configuration including the flange being spaced from the housing such that fluid communication is permitted between the inlet and outlet ports via a gap between the flange and the housing, and including the second body being the displaced toward the first end of the conduit such that fluid communication is permitted between the inlet and outlet ports via a combination of the first end of the conduit, the interior volume of the conduit, and the at least one aperture penetrating the conduit;

a second configuration substantially preventing fuel vapor flow from the inlet port to the outlet port, the second configuration including the flange engaging the housing such that the gap is closed, and including the second body being positioned toward the second end of the conduit such that the tube occludes the at least one aperture; and

a third configuration providing restricted fuel vapor flow from the inlet port to the outlet port, the third configuration including the flange engaging the housing such that the gap is closed, and including the second body being positioned away from the first end of the conduit such that fluid communication is permitted between the inlet and outlet ports via that combination of the first end of the conduit, the interior volume of the conduit, and the at least one aperture penetrating the conduit.

13. The valve according to claim 12, further comprising:

a seal at an interface of the flange and the housing.

14. The valve according to claim 12, wherein the first resilient element comprises a first coil spring centered around the axis, the second resilient element comprises a second coil spring centered around the axis, and the first coil spring has a greater spring rate relative to the second coil spring.

15. The valve according to claim 12, wherein the electromagnetic actuator operates via a power device electric signal such that there is an approximately zero percent power level when the first and second bodies are in the first configuration, there is an approximately fifty percent power level when the first and second bodies are in the third configuration, and there is an approximately one-hundred percent power level when the first and second bodies are in the second configuration.