Electric fuel pump which is self-filling at low fuel levels in a fuel tank

US6203286A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• PIERBURG GMBH · DE

Inventors

• Gunter Moll · Fellbach, DE
• Stefan Wolters · Mönchengladbach, DE
• Stefan Kluth · Neuss, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 14, 2000
• Grant date: Mar 20, 2001
• Expiry date: Jan 14, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T137/86043
• WIPO field: Engines, pumps, turbines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

An electric fuel pump mountable in a fuel tank for pumping fuel to an internal combustion engine. A casing of the fuel pump is mountable at a bottom wall of the fuel tank and has a fuel inlet at a lower end and a fuel outlet at an upper end so that the fuel is pumped upwardly through the casing. A vent valve is disposed at the top of the casing and is closed when the fuel pump is operating and opened when the fuel pump is deactivated. A conduit has one end connected to the vent valve and an opposite end which is open and located at a level in proximity to the bottom of the fuel tank so that when the fuel pump is deactivated the conduit serves as a suction passage to fill the casing when the fuel level in the fuel tank drops below the top of the casing to enable restarting of the engine without delay.