Mount for inlet check valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9022053-B2
Application number	US-201213414384-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2012
Priority date	Mar 10, 2011
Publication date	May 5, 2015
Grant date	May 5, 2015

Abstract

A fuel system includes a fuel tank filler neck associated with a fuel tank. The fuel tank filler neck includes a fill tube for receiving a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle and a fuel conductor interconnecting an interior region of the fuel tank and a passageway formed in the fill tube.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process of assembling a portion of a fuel tank filler neck, the process comprising the steps of
providing a tubular housing made of a first plastics material and formed to include a fuel-transfer channel extending from a downstream end thereof to an upstream end thereof,
mounting an inlet check valve apparatus on the downstream end of the tubular housing to regulate flow of liquid fuel and fuel vapor through an outlet formed in the tubular housing to open into the fuel-transfer channel,
providing a tank mount comprising a spud anchor and a fill tube connector spud, the spud anchor comprising a weld ring made of a second plastics material that is different than the first plastics material and an O-ring seal,
clamping the spud anchor onto an exterior surface of the tubular housing to locate the spud anchor in a stationary position on the tubular housing to provide a fluid-leak barrier therebetween, and
coupling the fill tube connector spud to the spud anchor to form a tank mount configured to provide means for mating with a fuel tank to support the tubular housing in an aperture formed in the fuel tank to position the downstream end of the tubular housing in communication with an interior fuel-storage region formed in the fuel tank and to position the upstream end of the tubular housing outside of the fuel tank to communicate with a fill tube associated with the fuel tank.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the clamping step comprises the steps of inserting the O-ring seal into an annular channel formed in the tubular housing and moving a tip of a weld ring made of the second plastics material into the annular channel to compress the O-ring seal.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein the tubular housing includes a pipe formed to include the fuel-transfer channel and an O-ring holder coupled to an exterior portion of the pipe and arranged to cooperate with the pipe to define therebetween the annular channel that receives the O-ring seal.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein the O-ring holder has an annular shape and is arranged to surround the pipe.

5. The process of claim 3 , wherein the O-ring holder is formed to include an annular port opening into the annular channel and facing toward the spud and the tip of the weld ring extends through the annular port to contact the O-ring seal.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the coupling step comprises the steps of passing the upstream end of the tubular housing through a central channel formed in the spud until the spud mates with the spud anchor and fastening the spud anchor to the spud to create a mechanical joint and a fluid-leak barrier between the spud and the spud anchor.

7. The process of claim 6 , wherein the coupling step further comprises the steps of inserting the downstream end of the tubular housing carrying the inlet check valve apparatus into the interior fuel-storage region of the fuel tank through the inlet aperture formed in the fuel tank and fastening the spud to the fuel tank to retain the tubular housing in a fixed position relative to the fuel tank.

8. A process of assembling a portion of a fuel tank filler neck, the process comprising the steps of
providing a tubular housing made of a first plastics material and formed to include a fuel-transfer channel extending from a downstream end thereof to an upstream end thereof,
mounting an inlet check valve apparatus on the downstream end of the tubular housing to regulate flow of liquid fuel and fuel vapor through an outlet formed in the tubular housing to open into the fuel-transfer channel,
clamping a ring-shaped spud anchor made of a second plastics material that is different than the first plastics material and is configured to be welded to a fuel tank onto an exterior portion of the tubular housing to locate the ring-shaped spud anchor in a stationary position on the tubular housing to provide a fluid-leak barrier therebetween,
coupling a spud to the ring-shaped spud anchor to form a tank mount configured to provide means for mating with a fuel tank to support the tubular housing in an aperture formed in the fuel tank to position the downstream end of the tubular housing in communication with an interior fuel-storage region formed in the fuel tank and to position the upstream end of the tubular housing outside of the fuel tank to communicate with a fill tube associated with the fuel tank,
wherein the clamping step comprises the steps of inserting an O-ring seal into an annular channel formed in the tubular housing and moving a tip of a weld ring made of the second plastics material into the annular channel to compress the O-ring seal, and
wherein the clamping step further comprises the step of moving a ring retainer into a groove formed in the tubular housing to apply a load to the O-ring seal via the weld ring and maintain the O-ring seal under compression to provide the fluid-leak barrier between the ring-shaped spud anchor and the tubular housing.

9. The process of claim 8 , wherein the moving step includes the steps of providing a ring retainer made of an elastic spring material and placing a foot included in the ring retainer in the groove formed in the tubular housing to act against a portion of the tubular housing while a head included in the ring retainer communicates with the weld ring to maintain the ring retainer under compression so as to apply a loading force to the weld ring that is transferred by the weld ring to the O-ring seal to maintain the O-ring seal under compression between the tubular housing and the weld ring.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the ring retainer is nozzle-shaped and includes a wide-diameter end providing the head and mating with the weld ring and a relatively narrower narrow-diameter end providing the foot and mating with an edge included in the tubular housing and arranged to bound a portion of the groove.

11. The process of claim 10 , wherein the weld ring includes an upstream surface facing away from the O-ring seal, a radially outer portion of the upstream surface mates with and is fastened to the spud to define a tank mount adapted to be fastened to a fuel tank to support the tubular housing in the aperture formed in the fuel tank, and a radially inner portion of the upstream surface located between the radially outer portion and the tubular housing mates with the wide-diameter end of the ring retainer.

12. The process of claim 9 , wherein the spud includes a tank-mount shaft arranged to extend along and around the upstream end of the tubular housing and a mount flange coupled to the tank-mount shaft and formed to include an inner pad mating with the weld ring and an outer pad adapted to mate with and be fastened to the fuel tank.

13. The process of claim 9 , wherein the tubular housing includes a pipe formed to include the fuel-transfer channel and an O-ring holder coupled to an exterior portion of the pipe and arranged to cooperate with the pipe to define therebetween the annular channel that receives the O-ring seal, the O-ring holder is formed to include an annular port opening into the annular channel and facing toward the spud and the tip of the weld ring extends through the annular port to contact the O-ring seal, and the ring retainer is located outside of the annular channel formed in the O-ring holder.

14. The process of claim 8 , wherein a downstream portion of the weld ring defines the tip that contacts the O-ring seal and the moving step includes the steps of locating an upstream portion of the weld ring above an opening into the groove formed in the tubular housing and deforming the upstream portion of the weld ring to flow into and remain

Assignees

• Doble Cory J
• Wetzel Paul C
• Crawford Jason M
• Stant Usa Corp

Inventors

• Doble Cory J
• Wetzel Paul C
• Crawford Jason M

Classifications

• Y10T29/49947

  by applying separate fastener · CPC title

• B60K2015/0477

  Details of the filler neck tank side · CPC title

• Y10T29/49622

  Vehicular structural member making · CPC title

• F16K15/033

  spring-loaded · CPC title

• Y10T29/49908

  Joining by deforming · CPC title