GB2434566A

GB2434566A - Reminder device for vehicle fuel type at inlet

Info

Publication number: GB2434566A
Application number: GB0601452A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Reynolds
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-01-25
Filing date: 2006-01-25
Publication date: 2007-08-01
Also published as: GB0601452D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle having a fuel input compartment 11 for housing of at least one fuel inlet, a door 12 for closing the compartment 11 and a fuel type indicator 15 bearing a visual indication mounted in the compartment 11 so that it becomes visible when the door 12 is opened to provide a visual indication of fuel type. Preferably, the fuel type indicator comprises a head 16 bearing the word "DIESEL", the head 16 being adhered to a flexible leg (17, see fig 3) formed from a plastic, such that the device 15 can be bent with the head 16 at least partly obscuring a fuel filler cap 14, ready to resiliently extend when the door 12 is opened.

Description

Fuel Indicator This invention relates to fuel indicators. It has been

estimated that up to 300,000 motorists a year mis-fuel their cars and in 2004 the emergency organisations were called out to 100,000 mis-fuelling incidents. The most serious occurrence is if unleaded petrol is put into a diesel tank. If the ignition is switched on, serious damage can occur leading to repair bills of up to 3000 or more.

This has led to a number of attempts to provide a suitable fuel warning system for example such as shown in GB-A-2366776, GB-A-2379642, WO-A-2005053986 and EP-A-0246684. All of these are relatively complex and expensive and there has therefore not been significant take up.

The present invention consists in a vehicle having a fuel input compartment for housing a fuel inlet, a door for closing the compartment and a fuel-type indicator bearing a visual indication mounted in the compartment so that it becomes visible when the door is opened to provide a visual indication of fuel type.

Preferably a part of the indicator lies above the fuel inlet when the door is open. The indicator may be compressed when the door is shut and spring up into its overlying position on opening of the door.

In the preferred embodiment the indicator has a head portion for overlying the inlet and a flexible, resilient leg portion for mounting the indicator in the compartment. The head portion may be formed of stiff plastics material, whilst the leg portion may be at least partially formed by a flexible plastics material.

Conveniently the leg is connected to the head by a double-sided adhesive body and a similar body may be used to attach the leg to the vehicle. The head may bear the word DIESEL.

From another aspect the invention consists in a fuel-type indicator comprising a relatively stiff head and a leg, at least part of which is flexible and resilient; the head bearing the fuel name.

The indicator may further include a double-sided adhesive body for adhering the leg and a vehicle, the leg bearing markings indicating the appropriate position for the adhesive body depending on the vehicle type.

Although the invention is being defined above it is to be understood it includes any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the

following description.

The invention may be performed in various ways and specific embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view from the outside of a fuel input compartment of a vehicle; Figure 2 is a schematic vertical cross-section on the line A-A in figure 1; and Figure 3 is a plan view of a fuel indicator.

As can be seen in Figure 1 a vehicle body 10 includes a fuel inlet compartment, generally indicated at 11, which can be closed by a door 12. The compartment 11 houses the mouth of a fuel inlet pipe 13 of the vehicle and this is normally closed by a cap 14.

In the embodiment, a fuel indicator, generally indicated at 15, is mounted ci"., within the compartment 11, such that when the door 12 is opened a head portion 16 of the indicator 15 floats above the mouth of the fuel inlet pipe 13.

Turning to Figure 3, the fuel indicator 15 comprises the head 16 and a leg 17. The leg 17 is made up of an anchor portion 18 and a suspension portion 19.

At least the suspension portion 19 is flexible and resilient. The head 16 is conveniently made from a stiffer plastics material and bears the name of the fuel with which the vehicle should be filled e.g. DIESEL.

For manufacturing simplicity the leg 17 may be attached to the head 16 by a double sided adhesive body or tape 20, but it will be understood that other forms of manufacture could be contemplated and it may be possible to select a material which has sufficient flexibility and resilience to perform the function of the leg, as described below, whilst being sufficiently rigid for the head to display the fuel type appropriately.

In use, the anchor portion 18 is attached to the vehicle body 10 to lie within the compartment 11 in the position where, preferably, when the door 12 is closed the flexible portion 19 is at least slightly compressed. On opening the door 12, the head portion 16 will then spring up into the position illustrated in Figure 2 in which it floats above the cap 14 to provide the driver with a clear indication and reminder of the fuel that is to be put into the vehicle. Because the portion 19 is flexible, the head portion 16 can easily be deflected by the user to enable the cap 14 to be removed and the nozzle to be inserted into the inlet pipe 13. After fuelling has taken place, the cap 14 is replaced as usual and the door 12 shut pushing the head back towards the cap into the indicator's compressed position.

As described the indicator is at its simplest and can be fitted by the original manufacturer; fleet operator or an individual driver. Where the device is being supplied as original equipment, the vehicle manufacturer may provide a suitable location to receive the anchor portion 18, but in general the user will fix the anchor portion 18 to the vehicle using a double sided adhesive tab or tape.

The precise location for this tab on the anchor portion 18 will vary from model to model and it may be necessary to cut the length of the portion 18 to suit certain models. Appropriate length and tab position indicators may be provided on the anchor portion 18. A cut location is, for example, illustrated at 21.

In certain cars it may be necessary to mount the indicator 15 on the door 12.

Claims

Claims 1. A vehicle having a fuel input compartment for housing a fuel

inlet; a door for closing the compartment; and a fuel-type indicator bearing a visual indication mounted in the compartment so that it becomes visible when the door is opened to provide a visual indication of fuel type.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 wherein a part of the indicator lies above the fuel inlet when the door is open.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2 when the indicator is compressed when the door is shut and springs up to lie above the fuel inlet when the door is opened.

4. A vehicle is claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the indicator has a head portion for overlying the inlet and a flexible, resilient leg portion for monitoring the indicator in the compartment.

5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4 wherein the head portion is formed of stiff plastics material.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the leg is at least partially formed by a flexible plastics material.

7. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6 wherein the leg is connected to the head by a double-sided adhesive body.

8. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6 wherein the leg is attached to the vehicle by a double-sided adhesive body.

9. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 8 wherein the head bears the word DIESEL.

10. A fuel indicator comprising a relatively stiff head and a leg, at least part of which is flexible and resilient; the head bearing a fuel name.

11. An indicator as claimed in claim 10 further including a double-sided adhesive body for adhering to the leg and a vehicle wherein the leg bears markings indicating the appropriate position for the adhesive body depending on the vehicle type.