Fuel vapor leak check module

• US 7,114,372 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Mitsuyuki, Kano, Masao, Yamada, Yoshichika
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): FITZGERALD, JOHN P
• Application Number:
  US10/923,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 73/492, 73/497
• US Class Current: 73/49.7
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0809 Judging failure of purge control system

Abstract

A fuel vapor leak check module has a pump discharging an air through an outlet. When the fuel vapor check module is mounted on a vehicle, an outlet of the pump is opened downwardly in the gravity direction. A housing has an opening provided above the outlet. The foreign particles discharged from the outlet of the pump are deposited on the inner surface of the housing. The foreign particles hardly reach to the opening even if the discharged air pushes up the foreign particles. Thus, the foreign particles are separated from the discharged air by the gravity to avoid the scatter thereof.

Claims

1. A fuel vapor leak check module for detecting a fuel vapor leakage from a fuel tank by pressurizing or depressurizing the inside of the fuel tank, the fuel vapor leak check module comprising:

a pump pressurizing or depressurizing the inside of the fuel tank;

a motor driving the pump, and

a housing accommodating the pump and the motor,

wherein the pump has an outlet for discharging air, which is opened downwardly in a gravity direction, and

the housing has a deposit-portion on which foreign particles expelled from the outlet are deposited, the deposit-portion being positioned vertically below the outlet.

2. The fuel vapor leak check module according to claim 1, further comprising:

a flange disposed between the pump and the motor, having a larger diameter than that of a pump housing, and having a opening at a periphery thereof, the opening being positioned to make a certain amount of angle relative to the outlet around the center of the flange; and

a housing having a pump space for accommodating the pump therein, having a diameter smaller than that of the flange and larger than that of the pump housing, having an end closed by the flange except the opening, and forming a clearance between the pump and the flange, through which an air discharged from the outlet flows.

3. The fuel vapor leak check module according to claim 2, wherein the pump housing has a curvature outer wall and a flat outer wall connecting both ends of the curvature outer wall, and the housing has a stopper confronting the flat outer wall in order to restrict a circumferential rotation of the pump housing.

4. The fuel vapor leak check module according to claim 2, further comprising:

a control circuit for controlling an electricity to be supplied to the motor, the control circuit being disposed in a discharge passage communicating with the clearance, in which the discharged air flows.

5. The fuel vapor leak check module according to claim 4, wherein the control circuit is located above the outlet in a gravity direction while confronting the opening.

6. A fuel vapor leak check module for detecting a fuel vapor leakage from a fuel tank by pressurizing or depressurizing the inside of the fuel tank, the fuel vapor leak check module comprising:

a pump pressurizing or depressurizing the inside of the fuel tank, wherein the pump has an outlet for discharging air, which is opened downwardly in a gravity direction;

a motor driving the pump;

a fiange disposed between the pump and the motor, having a larger diameter than that of a pump housing, and having a opening at a periphery thereof, the opening being positioned to make a certain amount of angle relative to the outlet around the center of the flange; and

a housing having a pump space for accommodating the pump therein, having a diameter smaller than that of the flange and larger than that of the pump housing, having an end closed by the flange except the opening, and forming a clearance between the pump and the flange, through which an air discharged from the outlet flows.

7. The fuel vapor leak check module according to claim 6, wherein the pump housing has a curvature outer wall and a flat outer wall connecting both ends of the curvature outer wall, and the housing has a stopper confronting the flat outer wall in order to restrict a circumferential rotation of the pump housing.

8. The fuel vapor leak check module according to claim 6, further comprising:

a control circuit for controlling an electricity to be supplied to the motor, the control circuit being disposed in a discharge passage communicating with the clearance, in which the discharged air flows.

9. The fuel vapor leak check module according to claim 8, wherein the control circuit is located above the outlet in a gravity direction while confronting the opening.