Fuel tank valve apparatus

Abstract

A fuel tank valve apparatus includes a fuel conductor adapted to mate with an outlet end of a fuel tank filler neck and extend into a fuel tank. The fuel conductor includes an inlet check valve.

1 . A fuel-transfer system for a fuel system of a vehicle including a filler neck and a fuel tank having a wall, the fuel-transfer system comprising 
 a fuel conductor including a base adapted to pass through an aperture formed in a wall of a fuel tank to remain in a stationary position on the fuel tank and an inlet check valve formed to include a normally closed fluid-discharge slit, the base and the inlet check valve cooperating to define a fluid-conducting passageway communicating with the fuel-discharge slit, wherein the inlet check valve is made of an elastic plastics material that is deformed elastically when exposed to valve-deformation forces applied by liquid fuel moving in the fluid-conducting passageway toward the fluid-discharge slit to open the normally closed fluid-discharge slit to allow exit of liquid fuel moving in the fluid-conducting passageway into the fuel tank through the fluid-discharge slit and that contracts to close the fluid-discharge slit once movement of liquid fuel in the fluid-conducting passageway ceases owing to elasticity of the elastic plastics material.    
     
     
         2 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 1 , wherein the base includes a fuel-transfer tube formed to include spaced-apart upstream and downstream ends and an upstream zone of the fluid-conducting passageway located between the upstream and downstream ends and the inlet check valve includes a mount portion coupled to the downstream end of the base and a discharge portion formed to include a downstream zone of the fluid-conducting passageway and the fluid-discharge slit.  
     
     
         3 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 2 , wherein an interior part of the mount portion is formed to include an aperture receiving the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube therein and further comprising a mechanical retainer coupled to the mount portion to retain the mount portion of the inlet check valve securely in a fixed position on the fuel-transfer tube and tether the discharge portion to the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         4 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 3 , wherein the mechanical retainer is coupled to an exterior portion of the mount portion to trap the mount portion between the mechanical retainer and the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         5 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 3 , wherein the mount portion includes a cylindrical section formed to include the aperture and first and second annular rims appended to an exterior surface of the cylindrical section and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to define an annular retainer receiver channel therebetween and further comprising a retainer located in the annular retainer receiver channel and configured to retain the cylindrical section securely in a fixed position on the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         6 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 3 , wherein the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube is formed to include a flange receiver channel in an exterior surface thereof and the mechanical retainer comprises a radially inwardly extending flange appended to the mount portion of the inlet check valve and arranged to extend into the flange receiver channel formed in the fuel-transfer tube to establish an interlocked connection between the inlet check valve and the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         7 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 3 , wherein the mount portion of the inlet check valve is formed to include a flange receiver channel in an interior surface thereof and the mechanical retainer comprises a radially outwardly extending flange appended to the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube and arranged to extend into the flange receiver channel formed in the mount portion of the inlet check valve to establish an interlocked connection between the inlet check valve and the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         8 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 3 , wherein the mount portion is formed to include a post receiver and the mechanical retainer includes a radially outwardly extending post rooted to an exterior surface of the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube and arranged to extend into the post receiver to establish an interlocked connection between the inlet check valve and the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         9 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 3 , wherein the mount portion is formed to include a plurality of post receivers and the mechanical retainer includes radially outwardly extending posts rooted to an exterior surface of the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube and arranged to lie in circumferentially spaced-apart relation to one another and extend into companion post receivers formed in the mount portion to establish an interlocked connection between the inlet check valve and the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         10 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 2 , wherein the discharge portion includes a first duckbill member, a second duckbill member coupled to the first duckbill member to define the fluid-discharge slit therebetween, and a base coupled to the mount portion and to the first and second duckbill members and formed to include the downstream zone of the fluid-conducting passageway, the first and second duckbill members are configured to move away from one another to assume a spread-apart position to open the fluid-discharge slit and to move toward one another to mate to establish a fluid-blocking sealed connection therebetween to block discharge of liquid fuel from the fluid-conducting passageway through the fluid-discharge slit.  
     
     
         11 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 10 , wherein the mount portion includes a cylindrical section formed to include the aperture and first and second annular rims appended to an exterior surface of the cylindrical section and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to define an annular retainer receiver channel therebetween and further comprising a retainer located in the annular retainer receiver channel and configured to retain the cylindrical section securely in a fixed position on the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         12 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 10 , wherein the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube is formed to include a flange receiver channel in an exterior surface thereof and the mechanical retainer comprises a radially inwardly extending flange appended to the mount portion of the inlet check valve and arranged to extend into the flange receiver channel formed in the fuel-transfer tube to establish an interlocked connection between the inlet check valve and the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         13 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 2 , wherein the discharge portion includes a base coupled to the mount portion and first, second, and third duckbill members, each duckbill member is coupled to the base for movement relative to the base, the duckbill members cooperate to provide the fluid-discharge slit with three slit sections terminating at a single point to cause each adjacent pair of slit sections to be separated by an included angle of about 120°, and the duckbill members are configured to move away from one another to assume a spread-apart position to open the slit sections of the fluid-discharge slit and move toward one another to establish a fluid-blocking sealed connection therebetween to block discharge of liquid fuel from the fluid-conducting passageway through the fluid-discharge slit.  
     
     
         14 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 13 , wherein the mount portion of the inlet check valve is formed to include a flange receiver channel in an interior surface thereof and the mechanical retainer comprises a radially outwardly extending flange appended to the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube and arranged to extend into the flange receiver channel formed in the mount portion of the inlet check valve to establish an interlocked connection between the inlet check valve and the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         15 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 2 , wherein the discharge portion includes a base coupled to the mount portion and first, second, third, and fourth duckbill members, each duckbill member is coupled to the base for movement relative to the base, the duckbill members cooperate to provide the fluid-discharge slit with four slit sections terminating at a single point to cause each adjacent pair of the slit sections to be separated by an included angle of about 90°, and the duckbill members are configured to move away from one another to assume a spread-apart position to open the slit sections of the fluid-discharge slit and move toward one another to establish a fluid-blocking sealed connection therebetween to block discharge of liquid fuel from the fluid-conducting passageway through the fluid-discharge slit.  
     
     
         16 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 15 , wherein the mount portion is formed to include a post receiver and the mechanical retainer includes a radially outwardly extending post rooted to an exterior surface of the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube and arranged to extend into the post receiver to establish an interlocked connection between the inlet check valve and the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         17 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 15 , wherein the mount portion is formed to include a plurality of post receivers and the mechanical retainer includes radially outwardly extending posts rooted to an exterior surface of the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube and arranged to lie in circumferentially spaced-apart relation to one another and extend into companion post receivers formed in the mount portion to establish an interlocked connection between the inlet check valve and the fuel-transfer tube.  
     
     
         18 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 2 , wherein the discharge portion includes a base coupled to the mount portion and first and second duckbill members coupled to the base for movement relative to the base, the duckbill members cooperate to provide the fluid-discharge slit with a curved shape, and the duckbill members are configured to move away from one another to assume a spread-apart position to open the slit sections of the fluid-discharge slit and move toward one another to establish a fluid-blocking sealed connection therebetween to block discharge of liquid fuel from the fluid-conducting passageway through the fluid-discharge slit.  
     
     
         19 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 18 , wherein the first duckbill member is larger than the second duckbill member.  
     
     
         20 . The fuel-transfer system of  claim 19 , wherein the first duckbill member has a crescent shape.  
     
     
         21 . The fuel-transfer channel of  claim 18 , wherein the mount portion has a cylinder shape and the base of the discharge portion has an elbow shape to orient the first and second duckbill members to lie in a plane at an angle to a reference plane established by the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube to provide the fluid-discharge slit with a side-discharge orientation.  
     
     
         22 . The fuel-transfer channel of  claim 2 , wherein the fuel-transfer tube includes a first tube section coupled in telescoping relation to a second tube section, and a mount flange coupled to the second tube section, the first tube section includes the downstream end, and the second tube section includes the upstream end.  
     
     
         23 . The fuel-transfer channel of  claim 22 , wherein an upstream part of the first tube section is formed to include a notch and a downstream part of the second tube section is formed to include a radially inwardly extending tab arranged to extend into the notch to retain the first and second tube sections in coupled relation to one another to form the fuel-transfer tube upon insertion of the first tube section in telescoping relation into a passageway formed in the downstream part of the second tube section.  
     
     
         24 . The fuel-transfer channel of  claim 2 , wherein the base further includes a mount flange coupled to the fuel-transfer tube and adapted to mate with a fuel tank upon insertion of the fuel-transfer tube through an aperture formed in the fuel tank and a spud coupled to the upstream end of the fuel-transfer tube and adapted to be coupled to a discharge outlet of a fuel tank filler neck and the base is a monolithic element made of a plastics material.  
     
     
         25 . A fuel-transfer system for a fuel system of a vehicle including a filler neck and a fuel tank having a wall, the fuel-transfer system comprising 
 a fuel conductor including a base comprising a fuel-transfer tube, a mount flange coupled to a mid-portion of the fuel-transfer tube, and a spud coupled to an upstream of the fuel-transfer tube, and an inlet check valve coupled to a downstream of the fuel-transfer tube, wherein the inlet check valve includes a mount portion coupled to the downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube and a discharge portion coupled to the mount portion and made of an elastic deformable material to define discharge means for opening automatically as liquid fuel passes through a fluid-conducting passageway defined in the fuel conductor and the inlet check valve and for closing automatically once flow of liquid fuel through the fluid-conducting passageway stops.    
     
     
         26 . A fuel-transfer system for a fuel system of a vehicle including a filler neck and a fuel tank having a wall, the fuel-transfer system comprising 
 a fuel conductor including a fuel-transfer tube and an inlet check valve coupled to a downstream end of the fuel-transfer tube, wherein the fuel conductor is formed to include a fluid-conducting passageway having an upstream zone formed in the fuel-transfer tube and a downstream zone formed in the inlet check valve to receive liquid fuel discharged from the upstream zone, and wherein the inlet check valve is made of an elastic deformable material to define discharge means for opening automatically as liquid fuel passes through a fluid-conducting passageway defined in the fuel conductor and the inlet check valve and for closing automatically once flow of liquid fuel through the fluid- conducting passageway stops.