Fuel supply device for vehicles

A fuel supply device for vehicles, comprising:

• a fuel tank installed on a vehicle, said fuel tank having a ceiling surface, a bottom surface and a side surface, said ceiling surface being formed therein with an opening;
• a cover closing said opening in said fuel tank;
• a sub-tank having a bottom wall and being fixedly mounted to said cover, said sub-tank being arranged within said fuel tank so as to extend toward said bottom surface of said fuel tank, and being capable of storing therein fuel of a level higher than that of fuel within said fuel tank;
• intake port means provided in said bottom wall of said sub-tank, through which intake port means the fuel within said fuel tank is adapted to be taken into said sub-tank;
• a fuel supply pipe extending through said cover and fixedly mounted to the same, said fuel supply pipe being arranged to extend between an interior of said fuel tank and an engine of the vehicle on the outside of said fuel tank;
• a fuel pump disposed within said sub-tank, said fuel pump being provided with a suction port directed toward said bottom wall of said sub-tank and with a discharge port directed toward said ceiling surface, said discharge port being connected to said fuel supply pipe;
• a fuel return pipe through which a part of the fuel discharged through said discharge port of said fuel pump is directed into said sub-tank toward said bottom wall of the same;
• a jet pump connected to said fuel return pipe and having fuel discharge port means and fuel suction port means, said jet pump delivering the fuel within said fuel tank into said sub-tank from an exterior thereof through said fuel suction port means by using fluid energy of the fuel flowing through said fuel return pipe and through said fuel discharge port means;
• a pipe element connected to said fuel discharge port means of said jet pump, said pipe element extending upward within said sub-tank and having an upper end opening, through which opening the fuel is supplied into said sub-tank;
• and
• a check valve arranged at said intake port means to prevent the fuel within said sub-tank from flowing out of the same into said fuel tank,
• wherein said jet pump is constituted by a groove forming a flat fluid control device arranged between said fuel pump and said bottom wall of said sub-tank, said groove being provided therein with said fuel suction port means and said fuel discharge port means of said jet pump.