Fuel filler access control system
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsDavid Martin, Roshini Venkatesh, Brent Edward Sealy, Dennis Seung-Man Yang, John Joseph Virga
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle assembly includes, among other things, a fuel inlet conduit configured to receive a fuel dispensing nozzle. The fuel inlet conduit opens to an inlet opening. A guard is configured to move back and forth between a blocking position that prevents insertion of the fuel dispensing nozzle through the inlet opening into the fuel inlet conduit, and an accessing position that permits insertion of the fuel dispensing nozzle through the inlet opening into the fuel inlet conduit.
Claims18
A vehicle assembly, comprising:
- a fuel inlet conduit configured to receive a fuel dispensing nozzle, the fuel inlet conduit opening to an inlet opening;
- a guard configured to move back and forth between a blocking position that prevents insertion of the fuel dispensing nozzle through the inlet opening into the fuel inlet conduit, and an accessing position that permits insertion of the fuel dispensing nozzle through the inlet opening into the fuel inlet conduit;
- and
- an actuator that rotates the guard back and forth between the blocking position and the accessing position when the actuator is coupled to the guard, the guard configured to be decoupled from the actuator to permit manual rotation of the guard from the blocking position to the accessing position.
A fuel filler access control method, comprising:
- using a guard in a blocking position to prevent an inserting of a fuel dispensing nozzle through an inlet opening into a fuel inlet conduit that communicates fuel to a fuel tank of a vehicle;
- transitioning the guard from the blocking position to an accessing position to permit insertion of the fuel dispensing nozzle through the inlet opening into the fuel inlet conduit;
- and
- rotating the guard back and forth between the blocking position and the accessing position using an actuator coupled to the guard,
- wherein the guard is configured to be decoupled from the actuator to permit manual rotation of the guard from the blocking position to the accessing position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.