Fuel tank

• US 7,891,344 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2008
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Motor Power Products Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Motor Power Products Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Akihiro, Kajiya, Shinichi, Sugiyama, Takahide
• Primary Examiner(s): Gimie; Mahmoud
• Application Number:
  US12/108,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20080264501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 123/516, 123/518, 123/519, 123/520, 137/840, 137/171, 137/179, 137/213, 137/216, 137/216.2, 137/583, 137/587, 137/588, 137/589, 137/43, 220/746, 220/DIG.33
• US Class Current: 123/516
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 63/04 for electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0854 Details of the absorption canister
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/0082 Devices inside the fuel tank other than fuel pumps or filters electrical pumps submerged in fuel tanks F02M37/10, jet pumps F02M37/025
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86348 Tank with internally extending flow guide, pipe or conduit

Abstract

A fuel tank has a tank body and a fuel inlet projecting upwardly from the tank body. The fuel tank includes a cylindrical member extending into the tank body, a canister, and a discharging passage in communication with the canister housing an adsorbent for absorbing fuel vapor from the fuel tank. A space between an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical member and an inner circumferential surface of the fuel inlet is hermetically sealed by a seal. The cylindrical member has a passage for communicating an inside of the cylindrical member with a portion of an outside of the cylindrical member that is lower than the hermetically sealed space. The passage allows air in the tank body to enter the fuel inlet when fuel overflows from the fuel inlet, thereby inhibiting flow of fuel into the canister through the discharging passage.

Claims

1. A fuel tank comprising:

a tank body arranged to store fuel therein, the tank body including a fuel inlet extending upwardly from a top surface of the tank body and a cylindrical member extending downwardly from the fuel inlet;

a fuel cap arranged to be removably installed onto a top of the fuel inlet; and

a discharge member including a discharge passage in communication with a canister arranged to adsorb fuel vapor from the tank body;

wherein

the cylindrical member includes a lower end portion and an upper end portion, the lower end portion arranged lower than the top surface of the tank body and projecting downwardly in the fuel inlet, the upper end portion including a communicating passage arranged to bring an inside of the cylindrical member into communication with an outside of the cylindrical member, an outer circumferential surface of the upper end portion and an inner circumferential surface of the fuel inlet defining a space therebetween maintained in a hermetically sealed state, the communicating passage being arranged lower than the hermetically sealed space and to extend substantially vertically;

the discharge member includes an opening on the inside of the cylindrical member at a position higher than the lower end portion of the cylindrical member; and

the communicating passage is arranged, during fueling of the fuel tank, to allow air to escape from the tank body into the fuel inlet.

2. The fuel tank of claim 1, wherein the upper end portion of the cylindrical member is partially indented to define an upwardly-facing surface, and the communicating passage is provided in the upwardly-facing surface.

3. The fuel tank of claim 1, further comprising an annular seal disposed between the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical member and the inner circumferential surface of the fuel inlet, the seal arranged to hermetically seal the space between the outer circumferential surface of the upper end portion of the cylindrical member and the inner circumferential surface of the fuel inlet.

4. The fuel tank of claim 1, further comprising:

an annular member including a flange arranged externally around an upper edge of the annular member and an opening in a lower end portion thereof;

wherein

the cylindrical member is disposed within the annular member;

the flange of the annular member is attached to the top surface of the tank body with the cylindrical member disposed within the annular member;

a cavity is defined between the top surface of the tank body and the flange of the annular member; and

the cavity is arranged to communicate a space outside of the annular member with the communicating passage.

5. A fuel tank comprising:

a tank body arranged to store fuel therein, the tank body including a fuel inlet extending upwardly from a top surface of the tank body and a cylindrical member extending downwardly from the fuel inlet, the fuel inlet arranged to be removably coupled to a fuel cap;

a discharge member including a discharge passage in communication with an inside portion of the cylindrical member and with a canister arranged to adsorb fuel vapor from the tank body, the discharge member including an opening positioned higher than a lower end portion of the cylindrical member;

wherein

the cylindrical member includes a distal end positioned below the top surface of the tank body;

an outer surface of the cylindrical member and an inner surface of the fuel inlet define a sealed space therebetween;

the cylindrical member includes a communicating passage arranged to communicate the inside portion of the cylindrical member with an outside portion of the cylindrical member, the outside portion being lower than the sealed space; and

the communicating passage is arranged, during fueling of the fuel tank, to allow air to escape from the tank body into the fuel inlet.

6. The fuel tank of claim 5, wherein the communicating passage extends substantially vertically.

7. The fuel tank of claim 5, further comprising an annular seal disposed between the outer surface of the cylindrical member and the inner surface of the fuel inlet, the seal configured to hermetically seal the sealed space between the outer surface of the cylindrical member and the inner surface of the fuel inlet.

8. A fuel tank comprising:

a tank body arranged to store fuel therein;

a fuel inlet extending upwardly from a top surface of the tank body, the fuel inlet arranged to be removably coupled to a fuel cap;

a communicating passage arranged in the tank body to allow air in the tank body to enter the fuel inlet when the fuel cap is removed and fuel is oversupplied into and overflows from the fuel inlet;

wherein

the air is allowed to escape out of the fuel inlet so that a fuel level in the fuel inlet declines and a fuel level in the tank body rises.

9. The fuel tank of claim 8, wherein the communicating passage communicates an inside of the tank body containing the air with the fuel inlet.