Auxiliary fuel tank

• US 9,000,905 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hyster-Yale Group Inc.
• Original Assignee: NMHG Oregon, LLC
• Inventors: Oxley, Lonnie R., Helton, Darrell E., Billings, David S., Stephenson, Jeffrey G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): POINT, RUFUS C
• Application Number:
  US13/074,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20110226362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 290/834, 340/450.2, 340/438, 340/450
• US Class Current: 340/450.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03006 Gas tanks B60K15/07 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03217 Fuel level sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/543 for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle indicating taxis' state of hire or fare G07B13/045
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/025 Failure diagnosis or prevention; Safety measures; Testing
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/027 Determining the fuel pressure, temperature or volume flow, the fuel tank fill level or a valve position
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0212 comprising at least 3 C-Atoms, e.g. liquefied petroleum gas [LPG], propane or butane
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0224 Secondary gaseous fuel storages
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0287 characterised by the transition from liquid to gaseous phase F02M21/06 takes precedence; Injection in liquid phase; Cooling and low temperature storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86196 Separable with valved-connecting passage

Abstract

A fuel system for an engine includes a fuel line that delivers fuel from a main fuel tank to the engine and a first control device that releases a flow of the fuel from the main fuel tank into the fuel line. An auxiliary fuel tank is connected to the fuel line, and a second control device controls a flow of the fuel between the auxiliary fuel tank and the fuel line. After the fuel is released from the main fuel tank into the fuel line, the second control device fills the auxiliary fuel tank with the fuel from the main fuel tank.

Claims

1. A fuel system for an engine, comprising:

a fuel line configured to deliver fuel from a removable main fuel tank to the engine;

a first control device configured to release a flow of the fuel from the removable main fuel tank into the fuel line in response to an installation of the removable main fuel tank;

an auxiliary fuel tank connected to the fuel line, wherein the fuel line is further configured to deliver fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank to the engine;

a monitoring device configured to detect a fuel pressure of the fuel system, wherein an increase in the fuel pressure is associated with the installation of the removable main fuel tank; and

a second control device configured to fill the auxiliary fuel tank with at least a portion of the fuel released from the removable main fuel tank in response to the monitoring device having detected the increase in the fuel pressure, and wherein the second control device is further configured to release the portion of the fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank into the fuel line for consumption by the engine in response to the monitoring device detecting a decrease in the fuel pressure.

2. The fuel system of claim 1, wherein the second control device is further configured to prohibit a release of the portion of the fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank into the fuel line while the fuel is being delivered from the removable main fuel tank to the engine.

3. The fuel system of claim 1, wherein in response to detecting the decrease in the fuel pressure, the first control device is configured to prohibit both the flow of the fuel from the removable main fuel tank into the fuel line and a flow of the fuel from the fuel line into the removable main fuel tank.

4. The fuel system of claim 3, wherein the removable main fuel tank is substantially empty of the fuel while the fuel is being delivered from the auxiliary fuel tank to the engine.

5. The fuel system of claim 1, wherein the first control device is further configured to release the flow of the fuel from the removable main fuel tank into the fuel line prior to detecting the decrease in the fuel pressure.

10. The fuel system of claim 1, wherein the decrease in the fuel pressure is associated with a decreased amount of the fuel in the removable main fuel tank.

11. The fuel system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a temperature compensating pressure switch, wherein the temperature compensating pressure switch is configured to compensate for changes in the fuel pressure due to environmental temperature changes.

6. A method, comprising:

releasing a flow of fuel from a removable main fuel tank into a fuel line for consumption by an engine, wherein the fuel is released into the fuel line in response to installation of the removable main fuel tank;

detecting an increase in fuel pressure associated with the installation of the removable main fuel tank;

filling an auxiliary fuel tank with at least a portion of the fuel from the removable main fuel tank in response to detecting the increase in fuel pressure;

detecting a decrease in fuel pressure; and

releasing the portion of the fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank into the fuel line for consumption by the engine in response to detecting the decrease in fuel pressure.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising prohibiting a release of the portion of the fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank into the fuel line while the fuel is being delivered from the removable main fuel tank to the engine.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the decrease in fuel pressure is associated with a removal of the removable main fuel tank.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the removable main fuel tank is substantially empty of the fuel while the portion of the fuel is being released from the auxiliary fuel tank.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein filling the auxiliary tank comprises:

opening a control device allowing the portion of the fuel to flow into the auxiliary fuel tank in response to detecting the increase in fuel pressure; and

closing the control device in response to the control device detecting a change in auxiliary fuel pressure associated with the auxiliary fuel tank being full.