It is known to provide a fuel tank in a vehicle to hold fuel to be used by an engine of the vehicle. In such a fuel tank, a fuel delivery module is provided with a cover to seal the opening through which the fuel delivery module has been assembled into the fuel tank. In some cases, the fuel delivery module consists only of a cover/flange to which either an electrical fuel pump and/or a mechanism for indicating fuel is attached. Recently, the trend has been to construct fuel delivery modules with an integral fuel reservoir. Various valves, sensors, pressure regulators, as well as filters have been added over time. Several of these components have been mounted or attached to the cover. Typically, the cover has fuel tubes, an electrical connector, and a rollover valve attached thereto. The cover is made entirely out of either a metal material or a plastic material.
Each material for the cover has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, the metal material for the cover is stronger and has the lowest permeation of fuel vapors. However, the metal material for the cover may produce leaks when fabricated, cannot provide many features, and is relatively costly to make. On the other hand, the plastic material for the cover is easy to produce without leaks, easier to provide many features, and is cheaper. However, the plastic material has a relatively high permeability when used with fuels and is weaker in strength than metal material.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a cover assembly for a fuel tank that reduces permeation of fuel therethrough. It is also desirable to increase the strength of a cover assembly for a fuel tank. It is further desirable to provide a plurality of molded features in a cover assembly for a fuel tank, which reduces the component part count and number of assembly operations. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a cover assembly that meets these desires.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds