Claims
- 1. A fuel dispensing nozzle having an inlet through which liquid fuel is supplied, to said nozzle under pressure, an outlet means adapted to discharge fuel into a fuel tank of a vehicle, an internal flow passage along which said fuel flows from said inlet to said outlet, manually operable valve means disposed within said passage intermediate said inlet and said outlet for selectively opening communication between said inlet and said outlet to permit fuel to flow from said inlet to said outlet, and fuel rate limiting means for limiting the volumetric rate of fuel flowing through said nozzle to a predetermined maximum rate independent of the fuel inlet pressure and independent of the amount of communication provided between said inlet and said outlet by said valve means, said fuel rate limiting means comprising housing means disposed in said flow passage, said housing means having a passageway for ingress and egress of fuel and for providing a pressure differential across said housing when fuel is flowing, a valve movably mounted in said housing for movement in response to the pressure differential across said housing between a first position which opens said passageway and other positions which partially obstruct said passageway and limit the fuel flowing therethrough to said predetermined maximum rate, said valve including a first surface exposed to the higher pressure upstream of said housing and a second surface exposed to the lower pressure downstream of said housing, said first and second surfaces being disposed relatively to one another for providing opposing forces on said valve for moving said valve between said first position and said other positions in response to said pressure differential, and biasing means for maintaining said valve in said first position when said manually operable valve initially opens communication between said inlet and said outlet and until said predetermined maximum flow rate is attained, whereupon a threshold differential results across said housing to move said valve from said first position to said other positions to limit the rate of fuel flow to said predetermined maximum amount.
- 2. A fuel dispensing nozzle as recited in claim 1, wherein said valve is mounted for slidably moving relatively to said passageway.
- 3. A fuel dispensing nozzle as recited in claim 2, wherein said housing includes a first bleed port communicating said passage upstream of said housing with said first surface, and a second bleed port communicating said passage downstream of said housing with said second surface, whereby said first surface is exposed to pressure upstream of said housing and said second surface is exposed to pressure downstream of said housing.
- 4. A fuel dispensing nozzle as recited in claim 3 wherein said biasing means comprises spring means for applying a force on said second surface in aid of the force applied by said downstream pressure.
- 5. A fuel dispensing nozzle as recited in claim 4 wherein said valve comprises a plate member having a bore extending therethrough, said bore being in full communication with said passageway when said valve is in said first position, and said valve is movable in a direction to obstruct said flow communication.
- 6. A fuel dispensing nozzle as recited in claim 5 including first and second cavities respectively defined between said first and second surfaces of said plate and said internal flow passage, said first and second bleed ports respectively communicating with said first and second cavities.
- 7. A fuel dispensing nozzle as recited in claim 1, wherein said valve includes a mounting pin, means for journally mounting said pin in said housing for rotation about an axis, said valve further including first and second plates disposed in said passageway fastened to said pin and extending in diametrically opposed directions relative to said axis, said housing having a bleed port extending therethrough, and a third plate spaced from said first and second plates extending from said pin and disposed in said bleed port, said first and second surfaces being opposed surfaces of said third plate, said third plate closing said bleed port when said first and second plates are disposed in said first position and partially closing said bleed port when said first and second plates are disposed in said other positions.
- 8. A fuel dispensing nozzle as recited in claim 1 wherein said valve is mounted for rotation relative to said passageway.
- 9. A fuel dispensing nozzle having an inlet through which liquid fuel is supplied to a nozzle under pressure, an outlet from which fuel is discharged as into a fuel tank of a vehicle, an internal flow passage along which said fuel flows from said inlet to said outlet, manually operable valve means disposed within said passage intermediate said inlet and said outlet for selectively opening communication between said inlet and said outlet to permit fuel to flow from said inlet to said outlet, and fuel rate limiting means for limiting the volumetric rate of fuel flowing through said nozzle to a predetermined maximum rate independent of the fuel inlet pressure and independent of the amount of communication provided between said inlet and said outlet by said valve means, said fuel rate limiting means comprising housing means disposed in said flow passage, said housing means having a passageway for ingress and egress of fuel and for providing a pressure differential across said housing when fuel is flowing, a butterfly valve rotatably mounted in said housing for movement in response to the pressure differential across said housing between a first position which opens said passageway and other positions which partially obstruct said passageway and limit the fuel flowing therethrough to said predetermined maximum rate, a port formed in said housing spaced from said passageway and communicating said passage downstream of said housing with said passage upstream of said housing, said butterfly valve including plate means disposed in said port, said plate means having first and second surfaces respectively exposed to the higher pressure upstream of said housing and the lower pressure downstream of said housing for providing a rotational moment on said valve in response to the pressure differential across said surfaces, and biasing means for providing a moment on said valve in opposition to said plate means.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/021,399, filed Mar. 4, 1987.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
21399 |
Mar 1987 |
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