Patent ID: 9381804
Filing Date: 2016-07-05
CPC Classification: B60K,F02M,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A pressure tank system for a motor vehicle that has an internal combustion engine, the pressure tank system comprising: a fuel tank at least partly surrounded by an outer reinforcing structure and having an interior with no internal reinforcements or stiffeners; a filler neck extending into communication with the interior of the fuel tank; a tank cap releasably engaged on the filler neck and having a tank cap release device for selectively locking the tank cap on the filler neck; a pressure sensor for sensing pressure in an upper region of the fuel tank at a location spaced from the filler neck; a venting line extending from the upper region of the fuel tank and communicating with an upper surface of fuel in the fuel tank at a location spaced from the filler neck; a regenerating filter device connected to the venting line and operative to absorb or bind hydrocarbons from fuel vapors from the fuel in the fuel tank; a tank shut-off valve in the venting line between the fuel tank and the regenerating filter device; a connecting line extending from the filter device to the internal combustion engine; a tank venting valve in the connecting line; a negative pressure limiting valve providing direct communication between surroundings of the motor vehicle and the upper region of an interior of the fuel tank at a location that is spaced from the venting line and from the filler neck, the negative pressure limiting valve being in direct communication with the upper surface of the fuel in the fuel tank, the negative pressure limiting valve being operative to open when a pressure in the fuel tank is between ambient pressure and minus 50 hectopascals for increasing pressure in the fuel tank substantially to ambient pressure; and a control device controlling operation of the tank shut-off valve and the tank venting valve for selectively permitting absorption of hydrocarbon vapors from the fuel tank into the regenerating filter device and for selective purging the hydrocarbon vapors from the regenerating filter device to the internal combustion engine, wherein the control device further causes the tank cap release device to release the tank cap only when the pressure in the fuel tank is substantially equal to ambient pressure.