On-board fuel feed system for a motor vehicle
AssigneeFoley & Lardner
InventorJean-Sebastien Fromont
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides an on-board fuel feed system for a motor vehicle, the system comprising a fuel tank and means for introducing additive into the fuel, said means comprising an additive tank and pumping means for pumping said additive to direct it to an introduction point for introducing the additive into the fuel, wherein said additive tank is housed inside the fuel tank.
Claims30
1/ An on-board fuel feed system for a motor vehicle, the system comprising a fuel tank and means for introducing additive into the fuel, said means comprising an additive tank and pumping means for pumping said additive to direct it to an introduction point for introducing the additive into the fuel, wherein said additive tank is housed inside the fuel tank.
2/ A system according to claim 1, in which the fuel tank comprises at least two fuel-receiving compartments that are interconnected, a main compartment containing a main fuel-drawing module for drawing fuel for sending to its site of use, a secondary compartment containing a secondary fuel-drawing module provided with a baseplate for fixing to one of the walls of said secondary compartment and serving to draw the fuel contained in said secondary compartment to send it into the main compartment or into the main drawing module, wherein said additive tank is housed inside said secondary compartment of the fuel tank.
3/ A system according to claim 1, wherein said additive pump means are received inside said additive tank.
4/ A system according to claim 1, wherein the additive tank is mounted on the fixing baseplate of a secondary drawing module.
5/ A system according to claim 1, wherein said additive pump means are constituted by a metering pump suitable for delivering a measured quantity of additive under the control of control means.
6/ A system according to claim 1, wherein said additive pump means are constituted by a suction pump, and wherein the additive introduction point is an injector.
7/ A system according to claim 5, wherein the additive introduction point is situated on the baseplate of the main drawing module.
8/ A system according to claim 1, wherein the additive introduction point is situated on one of the walls of the main compartment.
9/ A system according to claim 1, including additive deflection means underlying the additive introduction point and designed to deflect the delivered additive to outside a reserve bowl of the main drawing module.
10/ A system according to claim 2, wherein the secondary drawing module includes a jet pump.
11/ A system according to claim 2, wherein said secondary drawing module includes fuel gauge means.
12/ A system according to claim 2, wherein the secondary drawing module is housed in a setback formed in the side wall of the additive tank.
13/ A system according to claim 1, wherein the additive tank contains a level sensor.
14/ A system according to claim 2, wherein the secondary drawing module is mounted on equipment that is movable in vertical translation and that is urged towards the bottom of the fuel tank by resilient means.
15/ A system according to claim 1, further comprising, between the additive pump means and the additive introduction point, a valve designed to be open when the pressure of the additive exceeds the rated threshold of the valve and otherwise to be closed.
16/ A system according to claim 1, wherein the additive introduction point includes a coupling whose outlet is placed facing a furrow provided in the outside surface of a reserve bowl of the main drawing module.
17/ A system according to claim 16, wherein the coupling is extended by a tube placed in the furrow.
18/ A system according to claim 17, wherein the tube is provided at its outlet, situated close to the base of the tank, with an endpiece designed to direct the additive away from the reserve bowl.
19/ A system according to claim 1, wherein the additive tank is made of polyoxymethylene.
20/ A system according to claim 1, including an additive injector carried by a fuel transfer line disposed between a secondary fuel compartment and a main compartment.
21/ A system according to claim 1, wherein the additive tank carries a pump in removable manner on one of its walls so as to enable said additive tank to be filled after removing the pump.
22/ A system according to claim 1, wherein the additive tank is associated with a baseplate, resilient means being interposed between the baseplate and the additive tank to urge the additive tank against complementary retaining means provided at the bottom wall of the fuel tank and to urge the baseplate against complementary retaining means provided at the top wall of the fuel tank.
23/ A system according to claim 1, wherein the additive tank is associated with a baseplate, resilient means being interposed between the baseplate and the additive tank to urge the additive tank against complementary retaining means provided at the bottom wall of the fuel tank, and the baseplate being adapted to be fixed to the top wall of the fuel tank.
24/ A system according to claim 1, including retention means for retaining the additive tank in the fuel tank, which retention means comprise vertical fixing means and horizontal fixing means.
25/ A system according to claim 24, wherein the retention means are provided on an insert adapted to be fixed to the bottom wall of the fuel tank.
26/ A system according to claim 25, wherein the insert has complementary means comprising grooves with converging edges, e.g. of dovetail shape provided in the bottom wall of the fuel tank.
27/ A system according to claim 25, wherein the insert defines a cage having resilient tongues with catches suitable for retaining the base of the additive tank.
28/ A system according to claim 1, wherein the additive tank is provided with at least two orifices in its top wall, one for filling purposes and the other for degassing purposes in association with a function of determining a maximum depth of additive.
29/ A system according to claim 28, wherein one of the orifices is provided with a pipe which extends inside the additive tank down to the desired maximum depth.
30/ A system according to claim 29, wherein the pipe which extends inside the additive tank down to the desired maximum depth forms a cylindrical cage for receiving the additive pump.