Apparatus and methods to couple fuel components to a fuel tank

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9605803-B2
Application number	US-201313763265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2013
Priority date	Feb 8, 2013
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

Fuel tank apparatus and related methods are described. An example method includes placing a first end of a flexible coupling through an access opening formed on a wall of a fuel tank and into a first end of a guide positioned in a cavity of the fuel tank; feeding the first end of the flexible coupling in a first direction through the guide and away from the access opening; redirecting the first end of the flexible coupling towards the access opening by continuing to feed the flexible coupling the first direction; coupling a first fuel component to the first end of the flexible coupling when the first end of the flexible coupling is accessible via the access opening; and directing the flexible coupling in a second direction opposite the first direction via the guide to couple the first fuel component in the cavity of the fuel tank at a position away from the access opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a fuel tank having an upper wall, a bottom wall and side walls defining a cavity, the fuel tank having an access opening through the upper wall of the fuel tank to enable access to the cavity;
a guide coupled to the upper wall and disposed in the cavity of the fuel tank, the guide having a first end and a second end defining a length extending in a longitudinal direction proximate an interior surface of the upper wall between a first portion of the cavity adjacent the access opening and a second portion of the cavity spaced away from the access opening, the guide having a channel extending between the first end and the second end, the first end being accessible via the access opening; and
a flexible coupling to be at least partially received by the channel of the guide and supported by the guide in a direction along the interior surface of the upper wall, a first end of the flexible coupling to receive a first fuel component when the flexible coupling is at least partially disposed in the channel of the guide and the first end of the flexible coupling is adjacent the access opening, the flexible coupling to position the first fuel component adjacent the second end of the guide when a second end of the flexible coupling opposite the first end of the flexible coupling is retracted from the channel of the guide via the access opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the cavity is adjacent the access opening and the second portion of the cavity is spaced away from the access opening a distance at least defined by the length of the guide.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second fuel component adjacent the first portion of the cavity.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the second fuel component comprises a vent positioned on a cover to be coupled to the access opening.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the flexible coupling is to fluidly couple the first fuel component to the second fuel component.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first fuel component frictionally engages a wall defined by a recess.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the recess is defined by a protrusion extending from the wall adjacent the second portion of the cavity, the protrusion to define one or more shoulders that position a body of the first fuel component relative to an upper surface of the wall when the flexible coupling positions the first fuel component adjacent the second portion of the cavity.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the guide is substantially parallel relative to the upper wall of the fuel tank.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexible coupling comprises tubing.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexible coupling is positioned within an entire length of the channel defined by the guide.

11. An apparatus comprising:
a fuel tank defining a cavity, the fuel tank defining an access opening to enable access to the cavity;
a guide coupled to an upper surface of the fuel tank between a first side wall of the fuel tank and a second side wall of the fuel tank opposite the first side wall, the guide positioned in the cavity and defining a channel to form a pathway through the guide between a first end of the guide and a second end of the guide;
a flexible coupling to be positioned in the channel of the guide via the access opening, the guide to position the flexible coupling in a substantially horizontal orientation relative to the upper surface when the flexible coupling is positioned in the channel of the guide; and
a fuel component coupled to the flexible coupling, the flexible coupling to position the fuel component at the second end of the guide when the flexible coupling is positioned within the channel of the guide.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the fuel component is to engage an inner surface of a recess formed adjacent the second end of the cavity via friction fit to couple the fuel component to the fuel tank when the fuel component is positioned adjacent the second end of the guide.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the fuel component is positioned adjacent the second end of the guide when at least a portion of the flexible coupling is removed from the channel via the first end of the guide.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the fuel component is supported by the second end of the guide when the flexible coupling is positioned within the channel of the guide.

15. An apparatus comprising:
a fuel tank having a plurality of walls defining a cavity;
an access opening formed through a first wall of the fuel tank to enable access to the cavity from an exterior of the fuel tank, the first wall being positioned between a second wall and a third wall;
a guide coupled to the first wall of the fuel tank, the guide having a length extending between the second wall and the third wall, the guide having a channel to form a pathway between a first end of the guide and a second end of the guide, the first end of the guide being positioned immediately adjacent the access opening to enable the channel to receive a flexible coupling from the exterior of the fuel tank via the access opening, the flexible coupling to extend between the first end of the guide and the second end of the guide when the flexible coupling is positioned in the guide, the second end of the guide being positioned adjacent at least one of the second wall or the third wall, the second end of the guide being spaced from the access opening.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the guide is coupled to the fuel tank via a first connector adjacent the first end of the guide and a second connector adjacent the second end of the guide.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , where the first wall is an upper wall of the fuel tank.

18. An apparatus comprising:
a fuel tank having a plurality of walls defining a cavity;
an access opening formed through a first wall of the fuel tank to enable access to the cavity from an exterior of the fuel tank, the first wall being positioned between a second wall and a third wall;
a guide coupled to the first wall of the fuel tank, the guide having a length extending between the second wall and the third wall, the guide having a channel to form a pathway between a first end of the guide and a second end of the guide, the first end of the guide being positioned immediately adjacent the access opening to enable the channel to receive a flexible coupling from the exterior of the fuel tank via the access opening, the second end of the guide being positioned adjacent at least one of the second wall or the third wall, the second end of the guide being spaced from the access opening; and
a fuel component coupled to the flexible coupling, the flexible coupling to position the fuel component at the second end of the guide when the flexible coupling is positioned within the channel of the guide.

19. An apparatus comprising:
a fuel tank having a plurality of walls defining a cavity;
an access opening formed through a first wall of the fuel tank to enable access to the cavity from an exterior of the fuel tank, the first wall being positioned between a second wall and a third wall;
a guide coupled to the first wall of the fuel tank, the guide having a length extending between the second wall and the third wall, the guide having a channel to form a pathway between a first end of the guide and a second end of the guide, the first end of the guide being positioned immediately adjacent the access opening to enable the channel to receive

Assignees

• Brunswick Corp

Inventors

• Bostwick Iv Christopher
• Whelan Sean
• Jaros Chad Edward

Classifications

• Y10T137/0402

  Cleaning, repairing, or assembling · CPC title

• F17C3/00 Primary

  Vessels not under pressure · CPC title

• B60K2015/03528

  Mounting of venting tubes · CPC title

• B60K2015/03557

  comprising elements of the venting device integrated in the fuel tank, e.g. vapor recovery means · CPC title

• B60K2015/03453

  for fixing or mounting parts of the fuel tank together · CPC title