Fuel tank mount
First Claim
1. A fuel tank assembly, comprising:
- a fuel tank including an inner liner and a layer wrapped entirely around the inner liner, the inner liner defining an interior in which a supply of gaseous fuel is stored, the layer encasing the inner liner so that the inner liner and the layer contain the gaseous fuel; and
a bracket carried by the fuel tank and having a first portion accessible from the outside of the fuel tank to permit the assembly to be mounted to a vehicle, whereinthe layer is wrapped around a second portion of the bracket so that the bracket is carried by the fuel tank.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A fuel tank assembly includes a fuel tank, a bracket carried by the fuel tank and having a portion accessible from the outside of the fuel tank to permit the assembly to be mounted to a vehicle, and an outer layer disposed around at least part of the fuel tank and a portion of the bracket to connect the bracket to the fuel tank. In one implementation, the fuel tank includes layers of composite material that have fibers embedded in resin or the like. The bracket is carried or trapped between adjacent layers of the composite material so that the bracket is fixed to the tank. The bracket preferably is connected to the tank at one end and is flexible in at least one direction to accommodate changes in the shape or dimensions of the fuel tank.
38 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A fuel tank assembly, comprising:
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a fuel tank including an inner liner and a layer wrapped entirely around the inner liner, the inner liner defining an interior in which a supply of gaseous fuel is stored, the layer encasing the inner liner so that the inner liner and the layer contain the gaseous fuel; and a bracket carried by the fuel tank and having a first portion accessible from the outside of the fuel tank to permit the assembly to be mounted to a vehicle, wherein the layer is wrapped around a second portion of the bracket so that the bracket is carried by the fuel tank. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A fuel tank assembly, comprising:
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a fuel tank that is generally cylindrical and that has a central axis; a bracket connected to the fuel tank at one end and having another end accessible from the outside of the fuel tank to permit the assembly to be mounted to a vehicle, said one end of the bracket being displaced relative to said another end of the bracket upon deformation of the fuel tank so that changes to the fuel tank dimensions can be accommodated by the bracket, the bracket has an arm generally parallel to the axis of the fuel tank and the bracket is carried by the fuel tank along at least a portion of the arm. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A fuel tank assembly comprising:
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a fuel tank having at least a first layer of material that forms an interior for holding gaseous fuel, and the fuel tank having a second layer of material wrapped entirely around the first layer to form the structure of the fuel tank that holds fuel; and at least one bracket having an end located between the first layer and the second layer, whereby the second layer is also wrapped around the end to secure the bracket to the fuel tank. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A fuel tank assembly, comprising:
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a fuel tank; a bracket connected to the fuel tank at one end and having another end accessible from the outside of the fuel tank to permit the assembly to be mounted to a vehicle, said one end of the bracket being displaced relative to said another end of the bracket upon deformation of the fuel tank so that changes to the fuel tank dimensions can be accommodated by the bracket; wherein the fuel tank is generally cylindrical with a central axis, each bracket has an arm generally parallel to the axis of the fuel tank and each bracket is carried by the fuel tank along at least a portion of its arm; and wherein the fuel tank is defined at least in part by one or more composite layers of fibers and resin, and the bracket is disposed between adjacent composite layers.
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Specification