Siemens Vdo Automotive Corporation

Michael Keesee

Jan L Bennett

Robert Jackson

A fuel pressure regulator for use with an internal combustion engine includes a housing, a valve assembly in the housing, an elastic diaphragm connecting the valve assembly to the housing, a stop on one of the housing and the support and a spring between the housing and the valve assembly. The housing includes an inlet, an outlet and a longitudinal axis. The valve assembly is intermediate the inlet and the outlet and selectively opens fluid communication between the inlet to the outlet when a fuel pressure at the inlet is at least equal to an over-pressure amount. The valve assembly is displaceable along the longitudinal axis by an opening distance when a fuel pressure at least equal the over-pressure amount acts on the diaphragm so that the diaphragm does not exceed its yield strength. The diaphragm is in fluid communication with the inlet and elastically displaceable along the longitudinal axis up to a maximum distance. The stop is spaced from the other of the housing and the support along the longitudinal axis by a traveling distance when the valve assembly closes the fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet. The traveling distance is at most equal to the maximum distance and substantially greater than the opening distance. The spring biases the valve assembly to close the fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet when the fuel pressure at the inlet is less than the over-pressure amount.

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Williamsburg, VA, United States of America

Michael Keesee