Systems for a fuel tank

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10696123-B2
Application number	US-201815904229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2018
Priority date	Feb 23, 2018
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a fuel tank and suspension system. In one example, a system may include arranged a dampener between the fuel tank and the suspension system. The dampener may be configured to couple to the fuel tank or suspension system such that a threshold distance between a spud of the fuel tank and a stability bar of the suspension system may be maintained.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a fuel tank arranged upstream of a suspension system relative to a direction of vehicle movement, wherein a stability bar of the suspension system extends in an upstream direction toward a spud of the fuel tank coupled to a pipe; and
at least one foam being coupled to only a portion of the fuel tank including where the spud is arranged.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one foam is a single piece.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one foam includes a plurality of foam, wherein the plurality of foam comprises first and second identical foams comprising a block shape, the first foam being arranged at a first strap and the second foam being arranged at a second strap, and where the first or second strap is adjacent the spud.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one foam maintains a threshold distance between the stability bar and the spud.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one foam comprises a triangular cross-section.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one foam comprises a cube shape.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one foam comprises a low-density or a high-density.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one foam is open cell or closed cell.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one foam is a syntactic foam.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one foam comprises one or more cutouts for receiving a strap of the fuel tank, wherein the strap of the fuel tank traverses an entire height of the foam.

11. A vehicle underbody, comprising:
a fuel tank arranged between front and rear wheels of a vehicle;
a suspension system arranged proximally to the fuel tank and closer to the rear wheels than the fuel tank, wherein a stability bar of the suspension system extends toward a spud of the fuel tank, the spud fluidly coupled to a hose leading to a fuel supply pipe; and
a dampener arranged between the fuel tank and the suspension system, wherein the dampener comprises a cutout to receive the stability bar.

12. The vehicle underbody of claim 11 , wherein the cutout extends into a body of the dampener, and where the stability bar is arranged within the cutout and is spaced away from surfaces of the body of the dampener.

13. The vehicle underbody of claim 11 , wherein the dampener is physically coupled to only a portion of the fuel tank where the spud is arranged.

14. The vehicle underbody of claim 11 , wherein the dampener is physically coupled to the suspension system, and where a portion of the dampener overlaps with a horizontal axis extending from the spud, wherein the horizontal axis is parallel to a direction of vehicle movement.

15. The vehicle underbody of claim 11 , wherein a portion of the fuel tank overlaps with a central axis of the vehicle, wherein the central axis is arranged exactly between a front extreme end and a rear extreme end of the vehicle.

16. A system, comprising:
a fuel tank arranged directly below a passenger compartment;
a suspension system arranged nearer to a rear end of a vehicle than the fuel tank, wherein a spud of the fuel tank extends from the fuel tank toward a stability bar of the suspension system; and
a dampener arranged between only the spud and the stability bar, the dampener configured to maintain a threshold distance between the spud and the stability bar.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the threshold distance is between 10-50 mm, and where the threshold distance measures a horizontal distance between the stability bar and the spud.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the spud and the stability bar are vertically aligned and share a horizontal axis.

19. The system of claim 16 , where the spud and the stability bar are vertically offset, where a spud horizontal axis is parallel to a stability bar horizontal axis.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the spud is arranged vertically higher than the stability bar.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc
• Ford Global Tehcnologies Llc

Inventors

• Fellague Nour-Eddine
• Dutt Harish
• Aghssa Peyman
• Pellillo Roberto Jimmy
• Ryan Sean Timothy
• Gomatham Sai Gnanarka
• Aghili Mohammad R

Classifications

• B60G2204/122

  Mounting of torsion springs · CPC title

• B60G2206/8201

  by welding · CPC title

• B60G21/0556 Primary

  including a releasable coupling (B60G21/0555 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60G21/055 Primary

  Stabiliser bars · CPC title

• B60G21/0551

  Mounting means therefor · CPC title