Patent ID: 8485790
Filing Date: 2013-07-16
Classification: F02M,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A fuel supply device for a motor vehicle comprising: a fuel container including a plurality of chambers, a main fuel pump which is arranged outside the fuel container for sucking in fuel from the fuel container and feeding the fuel to an internal combustion engine, suction jet pumps for feeding fuel from the plurality of chambers of the fuel container to an intake port of the main fuel pump, the suction jet pumps being arranged in said plurality of chambers, filling level sensors disposed in the plurality of chambers of the fuel container, an electrically driven transfer pump arranged within the fuel container, wherein a pressure side of the electrically driven transfer pump is connected to nozzles of the suction jet pumps, and the electrically driven transfer pump is switched discontinuously, and a control unit configured to implement an intermittent switching mode in which the electrically driven transfer pump is switched in an alternating manner between actuated periods in which power is supplied to the electrically driven transfer pump and non-actuated periods in which power is not supplied to the electrically driven transfer pump, wherein the time durations of the actuated periods and non-actuated periods are predetermined, wherein during actuated periods of the transfer pump fuel is pumped towards the main fuel pump, whereas during non-actuated periods of the transfer pump fuel is not pumped towards the main fuel pump, and wherein the control unit only activates the transfer pump if there is too little fuel at the intake port of the main fuel pump and sufficient fuel in at least one of the plurality of chambers.