Ti Group Automotive Systems Corporation

Steven R Hilderley

James Ryan Osborne

Wallace J Booms

Timothy J Barnes

Jeffrey L Yager

A fuel vapor recovery system of a vehicle has a fill pipe inlet assembly located at a distal end of a fuel tank fill pipe. The inlet assembly has a cylindrical wall defining an elongated cavity divided axially into upstream and downstream regions by a restrictor plate which carries a hole for close receipt of a fuel supply nozzle of a remote fuel pump. During refueling of the tank, fuel vapor flows from the tank via a recirculation tube and into the inlet cavity of the fill pipe to become entrained into the flowing liquid fuel as oppose to being released to atmosphere. The fuel vapor enters the upstream region at an aperture carried by the wall disposed immediately upstream from the restrictor plate and downstream from a hood. The hood limits vapor release to atmosphere and draws the vapor downstream through a port carried by the restrictor plate for entrainment of vapor into the liquid fuel in the downstream region. Toward the end of the refueling process, any fuel welling or backing up within the fill pipe is generally limited to the downstream region of the cavity via the restrictor plate and an automatic shutoff feature of the remote fuel pump. Liquid fuel is thus less likely to enter the recirculation tube in the upstream region even if the automatic shut-off feature of the remote refuel pump should fail. Consequently, it is less likely that liquid fuel will flow into the canister of the vapor recovery system even when the automatic shut-off feature of the remote refuel pump has failed.

Refueling vapor recovery system

A fuel storage system for a transportation or recreational vehicle has a fuel tank that carries a vapor assembly that seeks out vapor pockets and controllably removes fuel vapor from the tank without releasing hydrocarbons to the surrounding environment. Preferably, a vent manifold attaches to a flange that sealably covers an access hole of the tank. At least one flexible tentacle extends from the manifold in the tank to a respective vapor vent valve that floats upon the surface of fuel at a vapor dome. When freely floating, the vent valve is open thus communicates the vapor dome through the tentacle and preferably with a filtering carbon canister. As fuel surface levels change or the vehicle tilts, changing the vapor dome size or location in the tank, the floating vapor vent valve is free to move generally with the vapor dome and as permitted by the flexibility of the trailing tentacle. With tank orientations where the vapor vent valve falls below the surface of fuel, the vent valve automatically closes to prevent flooding of the respective tentacle and remote vapor canister.

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LaSalle, Canada

Steven R Hilderley