Fuel and vapor vent management system for filler neck

A filler neck closure assembly for a vehicle fuel tank filler neck, the assembly comprising

• a housing adapted to be coupled to a fuel tank filler neck to receive a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle during fuel tank refueling, the housing including spaced-apart top and bottom walls and a side wall arranged to extend between the top and bottom walls to define an interior region of the housing therebetween, the top wall being formed to include an outer nozzle-receiving aperture opening into the interior region, the bottom wall being formed to include a passageway adapted to communicate with the fuel tank filler neck when the housing is coupled to the fuel tank filler neck, the housing further including a nozzle-actuated flapper door mounted for movement relative to the bottom wall to open and close the passageway formed in the bottom wall and located to position the bottom wall between the nozzle-actuated flapper door and the top wall,
• an insert located in the interior region to divide the interior region into an upper fluid distribution channel communicating with the outer nozzle-receiving aperture formed in the top wall and a lower fluid distribution channel communicating with the passageway formed in the bottom wall and the upper fluid distribution channel,
• a refueling vent manager located in the lower fluid distribution chamber and configured to provide means for receiving and sealingly engaging a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle extending through the outer nozzle-receiving aperture, the upper and lower fluid distribution channels of the interior region, and the passageway to move the nozzle-actuated flapper door relative to the bottom wall to open the passageway formed in the bottom wall and to allow liquid fuel to be dispensed therefrom into a fuel tank filler neck coupled to the housing and for establishing a normally closed fluid vent that opens to allow liquid fuel to flow from the fuel tank filler neck through, in sequence, the passageway, the lower and upper fluid distribution channels, and the outer nozzle-receiving aperture to form a stream of liquid fuel overflowing onto ground underlying the filler neck in response to failure of an automatic nozzle shut-off mechanism associated with the fuel-dispensing pump nozzle to stop discharge of liquid fuel from the fuel-dispensing pump nozzle at the end of a fuel tank refueling activity to provide a visual signal to an observer indicating failure of the automatic shut-off mechanism, and
• wherein the refueling vent manager includes a partition coupled to the insert and located between the insert and the bottom wall and a fuel vapor controller coupled to the partition and formed to include an inner nozzle-receiving aperture in alignment with the central aperture formed in the bottom wall, the partition is formed to include a central aperture in alignment with the inner nozzle-receiving aperture of the fuel vapor controller and a vent aperture interconnecting the lower and upper fluid distribution channels in fluid communication, and the fuel vapor controller includes a wall seal configured to provide the normally closed fluid vent and mounted for movement between a normally closed position engaging the bottom wall to block flow of fluid from the passageway into the upper liquid distribution channel through the vent aperture and an opened position disengaging the bottom wall to allow flow of fluid from the passageway into the upper liquid distribution channel through the vent aperture.

A filler neck closure assembly for a vehicle fuel tank filler neck, the assembly comprising

• a nozzle-receiving housing including a bottom wall formed to include a nozzle-receiving central aperture and a top wall formed to include an outer nozzle-receiving aperture and
• a refueling vent manager including a partition plate formed to include a central aperture and at least one vent aperture and a monolithic annular fuel vapor controller including an annular mount portion mounted in the central aperture formed in the partition plate, a radially inwardly extending nozzle seal arranged to extend radially inwardly from the annular mount portion to mate with a fuel-dispensing nozzle inserted into the nozzle-receiving housing, and
• a radially outwardly extending frustoconical annular wall seal arranged to extend radially outwardly from the annular mount portion normally to engage the bottom wall to block flow of fuel vapor and liquid fuel from a lower fluid distribution channel formed in the nozzle-receiving housing between the partition plate and the bottom wall and arranged to communicate with the nozzle-receiving central aperture in the bottom wall to an upper fluid distribution channel formed in the nozzle-receiving housing between the partition plate and the top wall and arranged to communicate with the outer nozzle-receiving aperture formed in the top wall, the radially outwardly extending frustoconical annular wall seal being movable from a normally closed position engaging the bottom wall to an opened position disengaging the bottom wall in response to admission of rising levels of liquid fuel in the lower fluid distribution channel owing to failure of a nozzle shut-off mechanism associated with the fuel-dispensing pump nozzle to shut off the fuel-dispensing pump nozzle at the end of a fuel tank refueling activity when the fuel tank is filled to a predetermined capacity.