Fuel supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10145342-B2
Application number	US-201515506041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2015
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A fuel supply device includes a fuel pump, a filter case, a fuel passage, a discharge passage, and a residual pressure holding valve. A communication port opens at a shifted position of the fuel passage that is positionally shifted from the residual pressure holding valve toward the discharge passage. The fuel passage includes an outside passage part through which fuel flows from the communication port toward the discharge passage, and an inside passage part that throttles a flow of fuel flowing from the communication port toward the residual pressure holding valve more than the outside passage part. When a passage cross-sectional area of the inside passage part is converted into a passage cross-sectional area of a circular pipe, D which is a passage diameter of the circular pipe, and L which is a length of the inside passage part satisfy a relational expression of L/D≥3.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel supply device comprising:
a fuel pump;
a filter case that receives a fuel filter in its receiving chamber, wherein the fuel supply device filters fuel, which is pressure-sent from an interior of a fuel tank by the fuel pump, through the fuel filter and supplies fuel to an internal-combustion engine;
a fuel passage that is provided in the filter case and includes a communication port, which communicates with the receiving chamber on a downstream side of the fuel filter, wherein fuel flows from the communication port through the fuel passage;
a discharge passage that is provided in the filter case and discharges the fuel flowing through the fuel passage into the internal-combustion engine; and
a spring-urged type residual pressure holding valve that is provided at the filter case and holds a pressure of fuel in the receiving chamber when the fuel pump is stopped, wherein:
the residual pressure holding valve includes a valve element, which opens the residual pressure holding valve against spring reaction force when the fuel pump is actuated;
the communication port opens at a shifted position of the fuel passage that is positionally shifted from the residual pressure holding valve toward the discharge passage;
the fuel passage includes:
an outside passage part through which fuel flows from the communication port toward the discharge passage; and
an inside passage part that throttles along its entire length a flow of fuel flowing from the communication port toward the residual pressure holding valve more than the outside passage part; and

when a passage cross-sectional area of the inside passage part is converted into a passage cross-sectional area of a circular pipe, D which is a passage diameter of the circular pipe, and L which is a length of the inside passage part satisfy a relational expression of L/D≥3.

2. The fuel supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising a relay passage that is provided in the filter case to communicate between the receiving chamber and the communication port.

3. The fuel supply device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the communication port opens into the outside passage part at the shifted position; and
the inside passage part opens at a separated position of the outside passage part that is separated from the relay passage with the residual pressure holding valve between the separated position and the relay passage to communicate with the communication port via the outside passage part.

4. The fuel supply device according to claim 3 , wherein a flow direction of fuel through the relay passage is inclined with respect to a flow direction of fuel through the inside passage part, so that the fuel flow from the relay passage turns around toward the inside passage part through the outside passage part.

5. The fuel supply device according to claim 3 , wherein:
the filter case includes a protruding part protruding from its specified position in a circumferential direction of the filter case; and
the outside passage part and the inside passage part are received in the protruding part together with the residual pressure holding valve at the separated position.

6. The fuel supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the communication port opens into the outside passage part at the shifted position to communicate with the inside passage part via the outside passage part.

7. The fuel supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the filter case integrally includes the residual pressure holding valve and the discharge passage together with the outside passage part and the inside passage part in a manner deviated at its specified position in a circumferential direction.

8. The fuel supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the residual pressure holding valve regulates a pressure of the fuel flowing toward the discharge passage, the fuel supply device further comprising: a spring-urged type relief valve that relieves a pressure of fuel discharged from the inside passage part through the residual pressure holding valve and that includes a valve element, which opens the relief valve against spring reaction force to relieve the pressure.

9. The fuel supply device according to claim 8 , further comprising a sub-tank that receives the fuel pump and the filter case in the fuel tank, wherein:
the filter case includes a relief passage that opens toward an inner peripheral surface of the sub-tank;
the relief valve is provided in the relief passage; and
the sub-tank includes a flow-directing part that is opposed to a most downstream end of the relief passage to laterally direct a flow of fuel discharged from the relief valve through the most downstream end.

10. The fuel supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising a jet pump that throttles and jets out fuel, which is discharged from the inside passage part through the residual pressure holding valve, to transport fuel in the fuel tank to a periphery of the fuel pump.

Assignees

• Denso Corp
• Kyosan Denki Kk

Inventors

• Takahashi Hideto
• Oohashi Masaharu
• Okazono Tetsuro
• Oki Hironobu

Classifications

• F02M2037/226

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F02M37/10

  submerged in fuel, e.g. in reservoir · CPC title

• F02M37/22

  Arrangements for purifying liquid fuel specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines, e.g. arrangements in the feeding system · CPC title

• F02M37/12

  fluid-driven, e.g. by compressed combustion-air · CPC title

• F02M37/0076

  Details of the fuel feeding system related to the fuel tank (vehicle fuel tanks B60K15/03) · CPC title