Integrated Fuel Shutoff Valve for Compact Tank Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel tank mechanisms for full tank detection, pressure regulation, and fuel prevention are bulky, limiting the amount of fuel that can be stored due to their separate functions and complex piping.
Innovation Solution
A fuel shutoff valve design featuring a casing with a partition dividing it into upper and lower spaces, including a check valve case for maintaining tank pressure and a cutoff valve case with a float to prevent liquid fuel outflow, connected by a communication passage with a delivery opening in the cutoff valve case and a reception opening in the check valve case, allowing for efficient vapor circulation and downsizing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate mechanisms (full tank detection valve, check valve, cutoff valve) with complex piping are used to achieve pressure regulation and fuel prevention functions, then the reliability of fuel tank pressure control is improved, but the device complexity increases and the fuel storage capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the check valve and cutoff valve into a single integrated valve body. The check valve portion maintains fuel tank pressure by allowing vapor to pass while the cutoff valve portion prevents liquid fuel overflow. This merging eliminates the need for separate mechanisms and complex piping connections, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining the reliability of pressure control and fuel prevention functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated valve body performs multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both a check valve for pressure regulation and a cutoff valve for preventing liquid fuel overflow. The single device structure provides multi-functionality that previously required separate components, thereby simplifying the overall system while maintaining comprehensive protection of the fuel tank system.
2Reliability
If separate mechanisms with complex piping are used for full tank detection and pressure regulation, then the functionality for pressure maintenance is improved, but the volume available for fuel storage is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the check valve and cutoff valve into a single integrated component, the patent eliminates the volume occupied by separate mechanisms and the piping connecting them. This consolidation frees up space within the fuel tank assembly, increasing the effective volume available for fuel storage while maintaining comprehensive pressure regulation and liquid fuel prevention functions.
3Reliability
If multiple separate valves and piping connections are used, then the functionality for preventing liquid fuel outflow is improved, but the device complexity and space requirement increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the cutoff valve functionality directly into the valve body structure, combining it with the check valve in a single compact assembly. This merging eliminates the need for separate cutoff valve components and their associated piping, thereby reducing the overall volume of the valve assembly while maintaining reliable liquid fuel outflow prevention through the integrated float mechanism.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enables a compact fuel shutoff valve that effectively maintains tank pressure and prevents overfilling, allowing for increased fuel storage capacity while ensuring smooth vapor circulation and preventing liquid fuel outflow.
Implementation Method 1
a check valve case that supports, in the upper space, a check valve structure maintaining an inner pressure of the fuel tank in a predetermined range
Implementation Method 2
a cutoff valve case that stores, in the lower space, a float functioning as a cutoff valve preventing an outflow of liquid fuel through the casing
Data Source
AI summary
A casing 100 of fuel shutoff valve 10 includes a housing 120 having a partition part 122 with a communication hole 124, the partition part 122 dividing the inside of the casing into an upper space CU and a lower space CL, a check valve case 140 supporting a check valve structure 142, and a cutoff valve case 160 storing a float 162. The casing 100 includes a communication passage C10 connecting a space C16 storing the float 162 and a space C14 in the check valve case 140 and having a delivery opening 168 of the cutoff valve case, the communication hole 124, and a reception opening 146 of the check valve case. The reception opening 146 deviates relative to the delivery opening 168. The check valve case 140 includes an additional flow path part C142 allowing the circulation of fuel vapor, together with the communication hole.