Patent ID: 7527044
Filing Date: 2009-05-05
Classification: F02M

Abstract:
1. A fuel vapor recovery apparatus comprising a carbon canister including a housing formed to include an interior region, an atmosphere orifice opening into the interior region, and a tank-and-engine orifice opening into the interior region, and a carbon bed located in the interior region between the atmosphere orifice and the tank-and-engine orifice, and flow control means for discharging fuel vapor exhausted from a fuel tank into the interior region of the housing through the tank-and-engine orifice to flow through the carbon bed in a direction toward the atmosphere orifice during a fuel tank fuel vapor venting cycle and for applying a vacuum generated by an engine intake when an engine coupled to the engine intake is running to the interior region of the housing through the tank-and-engine orifice to cause atmospheric air to be drawn into the interior region through the atmosphere orifice and into and through the carbon bed to produce a first stream of fuel vapor that exits the housing through the tank-and-engine orifice and through a check valve responsive to the vacuum generated by the engine intake for combustion in the engine during a carbon bed cleaning cycle; wherein the carbon canister further includes an end closure coupled to the housing to close the tank-and-engine orifice and formed to include a passageway arranged to provide vapor/vacuum means for conducting inbound fuel vapor from a fuel tank into the interior region of the housing and outbound fuel vapor from the interior region of the housing to an engine intake coupled to an engine associated with the fuel tank; and wherein the end closure includes an end cap coupled to the housing to close the tank-and-engine orifice and formed to include an aperture defining a first portion of the vapor/vacuum means and a three-way vapor conduit including a first tube section formed to include a housing channel defining a second portion of the vapor/vacuum means, a second tube section formed to include a tank channel defining a third portion of the vapor/vacuum means and terminating at a tank hose mount adapted to mate with a tank hose configured to conduct fuel vapor between the fuel tank and the tank channel, and a third tube section formed to include a vacuum channel defining a fourth portion of the vapor/vacuum means, merging with the housing and tank channels at a junction located inside the three-way vapor conduit, and terminating at a vacuum hose mount adapted to mate with a vacuum hose configured to conduct vacuum between the vacuum channel and the engine intake.