Fuel Reservoirs, Especially For Gas-lighters

Abstract

The fuel reservoir in which the fuel is stored in its liquid phase comprises a regulating device for the flow-rate of the fuel. The supply of liquid fuel to the regulating device occurs through an absorbent tube. The device is especially useful for gas-lighters.

Description

The invention relates to fuel reservoirs in which the fuel is stored in its liquid phase and which comprise a regulating device for the flow-rate of the gaseous fuel delivered, which regulating device is supplied by the liquid phase of the said fuel.

It is known that, for stability of the flow-rate of gaseous fuel delivered, the supply of liquid fuel to the regulating device must be constant.

It has already been proposed to effect this constant supply of liquid fuel, to arrange in the neighborhood of the regulating device one or several wicks constituted of porous material, but in the case where the regulating device comprises an axial control member extending up to a wall of the reservoir, the arrangement of this or of these wicks becomes difficult or even impossible. It was then proposed to arrange a tamped porous material between the regulating device, extended by its axial control member, and the walls of the reservoir, but due to the fact of the non-homogeneous character of this porous material the supply of liquid fuel to the regulating device was not constant and irregularities in the flow-rate of the gaseous fuel were noticed.

It is an object of the invention to provide a reservoir for gaseous fuel which does not have the drawbacks indicated above.

The fuel reservoir according to the invention comprises a regulating device for the flow-rate of gaseous fuel delivered actuated by a control member which extends axially from the said regulating device to a wall of the reservoir, the regulating device-control member assembly being shielded in a tubular element provided with at least one outlet orifice arranged in its wall for the passage of the liquid fuel, and it is characterized by the fact that it comprises, for the supply of liquid fuel to the regulating device, an absorbent tube, capable of absorbing the liquid fuel, surrounding the tubular element at the level of the outlet orifice and extending to the vicinity of the low wall of the reservoir.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the absorbent tube is constituted of an absorbent material (by means of porosity or capillarity) and it is surrounded by a fluid-tight bushing, constituted of a material impermeable to the liquid fuel, of which the upper portion is connected to the tubular element above the upper end of the absorbent tube, and of which the lower portion extends to the vicinity of the lower end of the absorbent tube to bound a surface of absorption at the level of which the absorbent tube is in contact with the liquid fuel and through which the liquid fuel is drawn by the absorbent tube; in this way, the liquid fuel travels through the absorbent tube over a well-determined length separating the absorption surface from the delivery orifice, which contributes again to ensuring regularity in the supply to the regulating device.

The invention consists, apart from the features which have just been considered, of certain other features which are preferably used at the same time and which will be more explicitly discussed below.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, a preferred embodiment of a fuel reservoir according to the invention is described below purely by way of illustrative but non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the single FIGURE shows a partial section of the said embodiment.

In this reservoir, the fuel is stored in its liquid phase and it occupies all or part of the cavity 1.

This reservoir comprises a regulating device for the flow-rate of the gaseous fuel, this regulating device being supplied by the liquid phase of the fuel.

The regulating device proper is shielded in a tubular element 2 and it comprises, on one hand, a movable part 3 extending upwardly and having a conical portion 3a, on the other hand, a fixed part 4 comprising an orifice 4a into which the conical part 3a can penetrate, and lastly on the other hand, a washer of porous material 5 interposed between the movable part 3 and the fixed part 4, this washer 5 being threaded on to the conical portion 3a.

The tubular element 2, which extends axially between two opposite walls of the reservoir, is provided at the level of the washer of porous material 5, with at least one outlet orifice 6 arranged in its wall.

The movable part 3 of the regulating device is actuated by a control member 7 which extends axially up to the lower wall of the reservoir to be accessible to the user from the outer face of this wall.

This being the case and according to the main feature of the invention, the supply of liquid fuel to the regulating device is ensured through an absorbent tube 8, capable of absorbing liquid fuel, this absorbent tube 8 surrounding the tubular element 2 at the level of the outlet orifice 6 and extending to the vicinity of the lower wall of the reservoir.

This absorbent tube 8 may be constituted of a porous material such as for example cotton, felt, plastic foam with open cells, porous ceramic, etc.

However this absorbent tube 8 may also be constituted of a material such as for example glass fiber or woven glass fiber.

This absorbent tube could also be replaced by an annular channel bounded between a cylindrical section of a material impermeable to the liquid fuel and the tubular element 2, this annular channel having a sufficiently small thickness for the liquid fuel to mount by capillarity in the said annular channel.

When the absorbent tube is constituted of a material, absorbent by porosity or by capillarity, it is advantageously surrounded by a liquid-tight bushing 9, constituted of a material impermeable to the liquid fuel, of which the upper part is connected to the tubular element 2 above the upper end of the absorbent tube 8, and of which the lower part extends to the vicinity of the lower end of the absorbent tube 8 to bound an absorption surface S through which the liquid fuel is pumped by the absorbent tube 8.

This liquid-tight bushing 9 can especially be constituted by any material with a liquid-tight wall, and in particular of plastics material, retractable or not.

In this way, the liquid fuel travels through the absorbent tube 8 over a well determined length separating the absorption surface S from the outlet orifice 6.

Finally, the reservoir according to the invention has a certain number of advantages, among which may be mentioned those summarized by the following points :

the absorbent tube ensures a regular supply of liquid fuel and advantageously replaces systems with wicks or with tamped porous material,

the absorbent tube can be mounted in any manner whatever the method of production of the regulating device-control member assembly,

the absorbent tube may be mounted around the tubular element shielding the regulating device before the said tubular element is itself mounted on the reservoir, which can possibly enable interchangeability of the regulating device-control member-supply system assembly,

the absorbent tube can also play the role of a filter since it completely surrounds the regulating device,

the absorbent tube can be extended into the inner portion of the reservoir, which enables complete pumping of the liquid fuel,

the absorbent tube can constitute a reserve of liquid butane in the case where, the reservoir being almost empty, the lighter is used in an inclined position.

As goes without saying and as emerges already besides from the preceding description, the invention is in no way limited to those of its methods of application, nor to those of its methods of production of its various parts, which have been more especially indicated; it embraces, on the contrary, all variations.

Claims

I claim :

1. Fuel reservoir, especially for gas lighters, in which the fuel is stored in liquid phase, comprising wall means surrounding an internal chamber for gaseous fuel in liquid state; flow-regulating means communicating with the interior and exterior of said chamber and operative for regulating the flow of fuel out of the latter, said flow-regulating means including a tubular member having within said chamber at least one aperture in its peripheral wall; a tubular element forming a capillery mass of material surrounding at least a part of said tubular member overlying said aperture and having a free lower portion and a sleeve of material impermeable to said fuel surrounding all but said lower portion of said tubular element, so that liquid fuel is absorbed by said lower portion for conveyance to said aperture.

2. Fuel reservoir as defined in claim 1, wherein said tubular element is of capillary material.

3. Fuel reservoir as defined in claim 1, wherein said tubular element is of porous absorbent material.

4. Fuel reservoir as defined in claim 1, wherein the material of said tubular element is selected from the group composed of cotton, felt, open-celled synthetic plastic foam material and porous ceramic.

5. Fuel reservoir as defined in claim 1, wherein the material of said tubular element is selected from the group composed of glass fibers and braided glass fibers.

6. Fuel reservoir as defined in claim 1, said sleeve having an upper end portion secured to said tubular member above an upper end of said tubular element.

7. Fuel reservoir as defined in claim 6, wherein the material of said tubular element is selected from the group composed of glass fibers and braided glass fibers.

8. A fuel reservoir, especially for gas lighters, in which the fuel is stored in liquid phase, comprising wall means surrounding an internal chamber for gaseous fluid in liquid state; flow-regulating means communicating with the interior and exterior of said chamber and operative for regulating the flow of fuel out of the latter, said means including a tubular member having within said chamber at least one aperture in its peripheral wall; and fuel-impermeable means surrounding at least a portion of said tubular member including said aperture and defining with said portion an annular capillary channel having an open end for entry of fuel into said channel and subsequent conveyance by capillary action to said aperture.