Capless closure assembly for fuel-tank filler pipe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11325462-B2
Application number	US-202016775736-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2020
Priority date	May 14, 2019
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

A capless filler pipe closure is provided for a tank filler pipe. The capless closure permits a fuel pump nozzle to be inserted into the tank filler pipe without first removing a fuel cap from the outer end of the tank filler pipe.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A filler pipe closure for a fuel filler pipe associated with a vehicle fuel tank, the filler pipe closure comprising
a nozzle-insertion housing formed to include a nozzle-receiving aperture and sized to extend into a fuel-conducting passageway, the nozzle-insertion housing including a door-support pin and a spring-support pin arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the door-support pin,
a flapper door mounted on the door-support pin for pivotable movement relative to the nozzle-insertion housing from a closed position closing the nozzle-receiving aperture to an opened position opening the nozzle-receiving aperture, and
a door-closing spring mounted on the spring-support pin to lie in spaced-apart relation to the door-support pin and arranged to yieldably urge the flapper door to the closed position,
wherein the door-closing spring includes a helically wound energy-storage unit, a first leg coupled to the helically wound energy-storage unit and arranged to engage the nozzle-insertion housing, and a second leg coupled to the helically wound energy-storage unit and arranged to engage the flapper door to apply a door-closing force to the flapper door normally to pivot the flapper door about the door-support pin to the closed position closing the nozzle-receiving aperture, and wherein the spring-support pin of the nozzle-insertion housing is arranged to extend through a pin-receiving channel formed in the helically wound energy-storage unit to locate the door-closing spring in spaced-apart relation to the door-support pin, and
wherein the flapper door includes a pivotable frame mounted on the door-support pin for pivotable movement about the door-support pin and a spring-loaded pressure-relief valve coupled to the pivotable frame to move therewith and configured to discharge pressurized fuel vapor extant in a vapor-receiving region of the nozzle-insertion housing that is located below the flapper door when the flapper door occupies the closed position and wherein the second leg of the door-closing spring is coupled to the pivotable frame and arranged to lie in the vapor-receiving region when the flapper door occupies the closed position.

2. The filler pipe closure of claim 1 , wherein the spring-loaded pressure-relief valve comprises a ring-support disk, a downwardly facing overmolded sealing ring carried on the ring-support disk, a downwardly extending valve stem coupled to an underside of the ring-support disk, a spring-support base located above the ring-support disk and coupled to an upwardly extending base-mount ring included in the pivotable frame of the flapper door, and a compression spring that is arranged to act between the spring-support base and the ring-support disk to yieldably urge the sealing ring to engage an annular valve seat included in the pivotable frame to close a vent aperture formed in the pivotable frame to block discharge of pressurized vapor from the vapor-receiving region of the nozzle-insertion housing through the vent aperture and wherein the sealing ring is arranged to lie between the second leg of the door-closing spring and the spring-support base.

3. A filler pipe closure for a fuel filing pipe associated with a vehicle fuel tank, the filler pipe closure comprising
a nozzle-insertion housing formed to include an outer nozzle-receiving aperture at one end, an inner nozzle-receiving aperture at an opposite end, and a nozzle-receiving passageway interconnecting the outer and inner nozzle-receiving apertures to allow a tip of a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle to extend through the outer nozzle-receiving aperture, the nozzle-receiving passageway, and the inner nozzle-receiving aperture during refueling of the vehicle fuel tank, the nozzle-insertion housing including an outer door-support pin and an outer spring-support pin arranged to be in spaced-apart relation to the outer door support pin,
an inner flapper door mounted on the nozzle-insertion housing for pivotable movement relative to the nozzle-insertion housing from a closed position closing the inner nozzle-receiving aperture to an opened position opening the inner nozzle-receiving aperture,
an outer flapper door mounted on the outer door-support pin for pivotable movement in the nozzle-receiving passageway relative to the nozzle-insertion housing from a closed position closing the nozzle-receiving aperture to an opened position opening the nozzle-receiving aperture, and
an outer door-closing spring mounted on the outer spring-support pin to lie in spaced-apart relation to the outer door-support pin in the nozzle-receiving passageway and arranged to yieldably urge the outer flapper door to the closed position,
wherein the outer door-closing spring includes a helically wound energy-storage unit, a first leg coupled to the helically wound energy-storage unit and arranged to engage the nozzle-insertion housing, and a second leg coupled to the helically wound energy-storage unit and arranged to engage the outer flapper door to apply a door-closing force to the outer flapper door normally to pivot the outer flapper door about the outer door-support pin to the closed position closing the outer nozzle-receiving aperture, and wherein the outer spring-support pin of the nozzle-insertion housing is arranged to extend through a pin-receiving channel formed in the helically wound energy-storage unit to locate the outer door-closing spring in spaced-apart relation to the outer door-support pin, and
wherein at least one of the outer flapper door and the inner flapper door includes a pivotable frame mounted on the outer door-support pin or an inner door-support pin, respectively, for pivotable movement about the respective door-support pin and a spring-loaded pressure-relief valve coupled to the pivotable frame to move therewith and configured to discharge pressurized fuel vapor extant in a vapor-receiving region of the nozzle-insertion housing that is located below the respective flapper door when the respective flapper door occupies the closed position and wherein the second leg of the outer door-closing spring and/or an inner door-closing spring is coupled to the pivotable frame and arranged to lie in the vapor-receiving region when the respective flapper door occupies the closed position.

4. The filler pipe closure of claim 3 , wherein, the nozzle-insertion housing further includes an inner door-support pin and an inner spring-support pin arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the inner door-support pin and wherein the inner flapper door is mounted on the inner door-support pin for pivotable movement relative to the nozzle-insertion housing from a closed position closing the inner nozzle-receiving aperture to an opened position opening the inner nozzle-insertion aperture, and the inner door-closing spring is mounted on the inner spring-support pin to lie in spaced-apart relation to the inner door-support pin and is arranged to yieldably urge the inner flapper door to the closed position.

5. The filler pipe closure of claim 4 , wherein the inner door-closing spring includes a helically wound energy-storage unit, a first leg coupled to the helically wound energy-storage unit of the inner door-closing spring and arranged to engage the nozzle-insertion housing, and a second leg coupled to the helically wound energy-storage unit of the inner door-closing spring and arranged to engage the inner flapper door to apply a door-closing force to the inner flapper door normally to pivot the inner flapper door about the inner door-support pin to the closed position closing the nozzle-receiving aperture, and wherein the inner spring-support pin of the nozzle-insertion housing is arranged to extend through a pin-receiving channel formed in the helically wound energy-storage unit of the inner door-closing spring to locate the inner door-closin

Assignees

• Stant Usa Corp

Inventors

• Wetzel Paul C

Classifications

• B60K2015/03552

  the venting means are integrated into the fuel filler pipe · CPC title

• B60K2015/047

  Manufacturing of the fuel inlet or connecting elements to fuel inlet, e.g. pipes or venting tubes · CPC title

• B60K15/04 Primary

  Tank inlets (B60K15/077 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K2015/0429

  actuated by the nozzle · CPC title

• B60K2015/03576

  Venting during filling the reservoir · CPC title