Ti Group Automotive Systems Corporation

Walbro Corporation

George Earl Maroney

Glenn A Moss

Steve L Toth

Karim Amellal

Benedict R Bonazza

Bradley Lyn Uffelman

Kirk D Fournier

Bryan J Gettel

Steven P Finkbeiner

Richard L Kobman

Cory J Doble

Julie K Good

Shane L Kady

Richard M Cherniawski

A fuel transfer system having a nozzle with an inlet in communication with a source of pressurized fuel in a portion of a fuel tank, and an outlet through which the fuel is discharged. A restrictor is arranged between the source of pressurized fuel and the nozzle. A first venturi receives fuel dispensed from the nozzle, and a second venturi receives fuel dispensed from the first venturi. The second venturi has an outlet in fluid communication with the portion of the fuel tank housing the source of pressurized fluid.

Fuel transfer arrangement

A fuel pump has an electric motor with a stator, a rotor, a generally cylindrical tube having opposed ends, a fuel pumping element driven by the electric motor to take in fuel and discharge fuel under pressure, and a plate having a face disposed adjacent to the fuel pumping element and a discontinuous support surface against which one end of the tube is received. The discontinuous support surface preferably minimizes distortion of the plate face under loading from the tube in assembly of the fuel pump.

Electric motor fuel pump

A fuel tank assembly has a fuel tank with a fuel flow control device disposed at least partially in the fuel tank, and which communicates with a fuel filler pipe through which volatile fuel is added to the fuel tank. In one embodiment, the fuel flow control device includes a fill tube that controls the manner in which fuel enters the fuel tank, preferably to reduce generation of fuel vapor when fuel is added to the fuel tank. In one embodiment, the fill tube is a flexible tube and includes a float adjacent to an outlet end of the fill tube so that the outlet end of the tube is responsive to the level of liquid fuel in the fuel tank for at least some levels of fuel in the fuel tank.

Fuel tank and fuel flow control device

A valve for controlling flow of a fluid includes a valve body defining at least in part an inlet, an outlet, at least one chamber, and an orifice in communication with the chamber. A valve member is received at least in part in one chamber for reciprocation or rotation between an open position permitting fluid flow through the inlet and into the outlet, and a closed position at least substantially restricting fluid flow through the outlet. In the reciprocating version the movement of the spool toward its open position causes fluid in the chamber to be displaced out of the cavity through the at least one orifice. In one exemplary embodiment, a fuel system includes a valve between a primary fuel pump and a secondary fuel pump driven by a portion of the output of pressurized fuel from the primary fuel pump.

Fuel system and flow control valve

An in-tank type electric motor fuel pump with a fuel inlet end cap, a fuel outlet cap, a case coaxially joining the end caps to form a pump housing, an electric motor mounted in the housing having a stator with spring-retained permanent field magnets surrounding the motor armature, and a gerotor pump in the housing rotatably driven by the motor armature. An inlet port plate, an outlet port plate and a cam ring sandwiched between the plates form a gerotor pocket axially between the plates, and inner and outer gear rotors are disposed in the pocket with intermeshing teeth defining circumferentially disposed expanding and ensmalling pumping chambers. A pair of alignment and fastening screw pins are the sole hardware for clamping the plates and cam ring in tightly sandwiched relationship and holding the pump unit together in properly axially, radially and angularly oriented component relationship in precision final assembly as an operable gerotor pump. The screw pins each have a cylindrical smooth surface shank portion precision fitting in smooth wall precision aligned bores in the plates and cam ring. The screw pin threaded end threadably engages a threaded portion of the inlet plate bore hole that is slightly reduced in diameter relative to the smooth surface bore holes. The radial tolerances between the pin and inlet plate hole threads are larger than that between the pin shank smooth portion and the associated smooth surface alignment bores in the plates and cam ring to prevent alignment distortion from thread seating stresses. The screw pins also have axially elongated and slotted screw heads that serve as fail-safe stops limiting loosening motion of the magnets. The pump rotors have predetermined fixed assembly axial and radial clearance dimensions relative to the pump plates and cam ring respectively established and maintained in assembly by the screw pins fitment in the plates and cam ring.

Screw pins for a gear rotor fuel pump assembly

A thermally actuated vapor vent valve in a fuel pump module allows hot vapor to escape from the fuel pump module when the module is at a temperature significantly above normal operating temperatures. The vent valve is carried by a retainer in the fuel pump module and, at normal operating temperatures, the vent valve is closed on a valve seat of the vapor outlet to prevent vapor flow through the vapor outlet. The valve and the retainer are formed of materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion such that when the fuel pump module becomes heated to a temperature sufficiently above normal operating temperatures the retainer expands and disengages the valve from the valve seat. This allows the hot vapor within the fuel pump module to flow out of the module and thereby prevents the fuel pump from overheating or reaching temperatures which can damage the electric motor that drives the fuel pump.

Growing community of inventors

Kingston, MI, United States of America

George Earl Maroney