Walbro Corporation

Ti Group Automotive Systems Corporation

Ronald B Kuenzli

Charles H Tuckey

Edward J Talaski

Joseph M Ross

Bryan J Gettel

Peter P Kuperus

Ronald H Roche

G Clarke Oberheide

Kenneth J Cotton

Glenn A Moss

Kirk D Fournier

Kirk D Doane

Kevin L Williams

Dennis J Catlin

Edwyn R Maschke

A fuel filter and vapor separator arrangement having at least one layer of liquid fuel permeable material defining at least one substantially enclosed cavity. The permeable material has at least one opening to provide fluid communication of liquid fuel within the cavity with an inlet of a high pressure fuel pump outside the cavity. A jet pump and/or fuel vapor vent is arranged relative to the cavity to facilitate the elimination of fuel vapor flowing to the high pressure fuel pump.

Fuel filter arrangement

A fuel pressure regulator is provided between the outlet of the fuel pump and an inlet of a jet pump to control the flow of fuel to the jet pump. Desirably, during low voltage conditions in a vehicle, the flow of fuel to the jet pump may be temporarily restricted or terminated to decrease the amount of fuel diverted from the engine and thereby increase the flow rate of fuel to the engine and improve the performance of the engine. The regulator may also function to bypass fuel delivered from the fuel pump in excess of the engine fuel demand to control the pressure of and limit the maximum pressure of fuel supplied to the engine.

Fuel system with jet pump switching regulator

A no-return system for supplying fuel from a tank to a fuel injected internal combustion engine of an automotive vehicle in response to the fuel demand of the engine. The pump supplies more fuel than that required by the operating engine and the excess fuel is diverted from the engine by a bypass fuel pressure regulator and returned to the tank through a fluid-activatable switch movable to electrically open and closed states in response to the rate of flow of excess fuel through the switch. An electric control circuit is responsive to the state of the switch to change the magnitude of the power applied to the electric motor to change its operating speed and thereby modulate the output fuel flow rate of the pump in response to the fuel demand of the engine.

Fuel supply system responsive to engine fuel demand

An in-tank fuel pump reservoir assembly for drawing fuel from a fuel supply tank and discharging the fuel under pressure to an engine. The assembly includes a reservoir canister that partially defines a reservoir chamber and is mounted within a fuel tank. A reservoir inlet admits fluid into the reservoir chamber from the fuel tank. A reservoir outlet allows fuel to flow from the reservoir chamber to an engine through a fuel line. A reservoir filling device draws fuel into the reservoir chamber from the fuel supply tank through the reservoir inlet. A fuel pump assembly disposed within the canister draws fuel from the reservoir chamber and discharges at least a portion of that fuel to the engine through the reservoir outlet. A modular fuel delivery pod includes the fuel pump assembly, the reservoir filling device, and the inlet check valve. The pod connects to the canister to cooperatively define the reservoir chamber. The assembly is readily adaptable to multiple fuel tank applications by selecting respective canisters and fuel pump assemblies that are compatible with such applications.

In-take fuel pump reservoir

An accumulator and over-pressure relief valve unit disposed within a vehicle fuel tank to accommodate expansion of fuel due to heating of the fuel within the fuel system and to maintain increased pressure of heated fuel in the fuel system to prevent vapor formation and to provide an over-pressure relief to bleed fuel back into the fuel tank when the unit has reached its maximum fuel accumulating capacity. The accumulator has a plastic cap press fit onto a plastic body with a diaphragm received therebetween and defining an expansion chamber with the body. To provide a seal between the cap and body, they are preferably ultrasonically welded together. The diaphragm has a normally closed valve which, when opened, communicates the accumulator chamber with the fuel tank. This valve opens in response to any over-pressure that may develop after the accumulator has reached its maximum accumulating capacity to bypass fuel into the fuel tank and thereby limit the maximum pressure of the fuel in the fuel system.

Fuel accumulator and pressure limiting device

A valve in a fuel pressure regulator prevents liquid fuel from being emitted exteriorly of the regulator housing and onto heated engine components. In the preferred embodiment, the valve allows gaseous flow into a chamber of the regulator when the pressure within the chamber is lower than the pressure of gases exterior of the regulator but prevents gaseous flow from within the chamber to the exterior of the housing. In other embodiment an air-bleed passage is provided in the valve to allow gaseous flow from within the chamber to the exterior of the regulator.

Demand pressure regulator

A gear rotor fuel pump having a gear rotor pump assembly received on a cantilever bearing in an end cap of the pump and an armature journalled for rotation at one end in the bearing while being rotatably unsupported at its other end for preventing bearing misalignment and reducing pump noise. The end cap preferably carries a bellows modulator for reducing pump noise by reducing the amplitude of fuel pressure pulses transmitted to the bellows from the pump assembly through a port in the end cap. To further reduce noise, the end cap preferably has at least one cavity for receiving compressible gas therein to further absorb the pressure pulses as well as noise generated by turbulent fuel flow at a pump inlet. Preferably, the end cap has an interior locator surface which abuts the pump assembly and a locator groove which are both preferably machined relative to the bearing axis so that the pump assembly and armature are accurately axially and radially located in the pump to reduce pump noise while increasing performance, reliability, accuracy and repeatability in the mass production of the pump.

Growing community of inventors

Deford, MI, United States of America

Ronald B Kuenzli