Patent ID: 6145532
Filing Date: 2000-11-14
Classification: B60K,Y10T

Abstract:
A vapor control apparatus for a vehicle fuel tank having a fill pipe with an inlet above the fuel tank comprising:a housing constructed to be received in the fuel tank adjacent the top of the fuel tank;an outlet passage in the housing and a main valve seat defined by the housing at an upstream end of the outlet passage, said outlet passage communicating the interior of the fuel tank with the exterior of the fuel tank and through which fuel vapor is vented from the fuel tank;a main valve carried by the housing, associated with the outlet passage and movable relative to the main valve seat from a normally open position permitting the free flow of fuel vapor from the interior of the tank through the outlet passage and toward a closed position at least severely retarding the flow of fuel vapor from the interior of the tank through the outlet passage in response to rising fuel level in the fuel tank;a bleed passage through the main valve communicating with the interior of the fuel tank and a pilot valve seat at the upstream end of the bleed passage;a fall away fill level control float received in the housing separate from the main valve, normally spaced from the pilot valve seat, and having a fluid container with a continuously open fluid bleed port;a pilot valve which is normally open and spaced from the pilot valve seat and movable toward the pilot valve seat in response to a rising fuel level in the fuel tank,a pilot float received in the housing and responsive to the level of fuel in the tank to move the pilot valve toward the pilot valve seat when a maximum fuel level is reached within the fuel tank when refueling the fuel tank, andthe fall away fill level control float is initially responsive to the level of fuel in the fuel tank to control movement of the main valve sufficiently toward its closed position when a predetermined fuel level is reached within the fuel tank when refueling the fuel tank to cause fuel to rise in the fill pipe of the tank to a level adjacent the inlet of the fill pipe to actuate an automatic shut-off of a fuel refueling nozzle with its outlet received in the inlet of the fill pipe, and the continuously open fluid bleed port in the fluid container of the fill level control float is sized and constructed to bleed fluid at a rate delaying the reopening of the main valve for a period of time after refueling and to thereafter fully open the outlet passage to permit fuel vapor to flow through the outlet passage after refueling is completed.