A suction filter, through which fuel is suctioned into a suction port of a fuel pump after filtering the fuel in an inside of a fuel tank of a vehicle, includes a filter screen and a plurality of fuel stoppers. The filter screen is placed to cover an inside space, in which a negative suction pressure is exerted from the suction port. The filter screen includes a bottom wall that forms the inside space and is formed as a permeable wall, through which the fuel and air are permeable, and the filter screen filters the fuel permeated through the permeable wall. The fuel stoppers are arranged along the bottom wall from a side, at which the suction port is located, toward an away side, which is away from the suction port. The fuel stoppers extend toward the bottom wall in the inside space.

A displacement amount of an apex of a small diameter part of a coupling shaft portion, which is required to displace the apex of the small diameter part placed in an engaging hole section of a complex hole to a limit point, is defined as a limit displacement amount while the limit point is an intersection between the engaging hole section and an insertion hole section of the complex hole. A projection is formed at a stopper piece as a displacement-amount limiting portion that limits the displacement amount of the apex to an amount, which is equal to or smaller than the limit displacement amount, through contact of the projection against an inner wall surface of the complex hole, which is opposed to the projection.

A sender assembly that has a compact state, which may allow a pump assembly including the sender assembly to be easily inserted into an opening of a fluid tank. For example, the pump assembly may be insertable into the opening of the fluid tank while a longitudinal axis of the pump assembly remains coaxial with the opening. When in the compact state a rotatable arm and a float of the sender assembly may be entirely within or deformable to be within a predetermined envelope that has a radial extent less than the opening of the fluid tank to allow the sender assembly to be inserted straight into the opening. The predetermined envelope may be coaxial with the longitudinal axis and have a cross-section transverse to the longitudinal axis that matches the opening of the tank.

The present invention relates to a fuel pump (1) which comprises a pump housing (2), a delivery element (3) for delivering fuel, a heat-generating actuator (4) for actuating the delivery element (3), a first fuel path (5) which leads from an inlet (20) to a delivery space (7), and a second fuel path (6) which leads from the inlet (20) past the heat-generating actuator (4) to a first housing opening (21), wherein the first housing opening (21) is arranged above the inlet (20) in the vertical direction (V). The present invention also relates to a fuel pump arrangement which comprises a fuel pump (1) according to the invention and a fuel tank (10) in which the fuel pump (1) is at least partially and preferably entirely arranged. The present invention also relates to a method for operating a fuel pump (1).

A suction filter includes a filter element disposed in a fuel tank and filtering a stored fuel that is a fuel stored in the fuel tank by allowing the stored fuel passing the filter element into an inner space, a dividing wall element disposed to divide the inner space into a first space, into which a filtered fuel that is the fuel filtered by the filter element flows, and a second space, to which an intake port drawing in the filtered fuel is opened, and enclosing the first space together with the filter element and enclosing the second space together with the filter element, and a passage element including an inflow port opened to the second space and an outflow port to which an intake pressure is applied by the intake port and defining a flow passage through which filtered fuel flows from the inflow port toward the outflow port.

A sender assembly that has a compact state, which may allow a pump assembly including the sender assembly to be easily inserted into an opening of a fluid tank. For example, the pump assembly may be insertable into the opening of the fluid tank while a longitudinal axis of the pump assembly remains coaxial with the opening. When in the compact state a rotatable arm and a float of the sender assembly may be entirely within or deformable to be within a predetermined envelope that has a radial extent less than the opening of the fluid tank to allow the sender assembly to be inserted straight into the opening. The predetermined envelope may be coaxial with the longitudinal axis and have a cross-section transverse to the longitudinal axis that matches the opening of the tank.

A sender assembly that has a compact state, which may allow a pump assembly including the sender assembly to be easily inserted into an opening of a fluid tank. For example, the pump assembly may be insertable into the opening of the fluid tank while a longitudinal axis of the pump assembly remains coaxial with the opening. When in the compact state a rotatable arm and a float of the sender assembly may be entirely within or deformable to be within a predetermined envelope that has a radial extent less than the opening of the fluid tank to allow the sender assembly to be inserted straight into the opening. The predetermined envelope may be coaxial with the longitudinal axis and have a cross-section transverse to the longitudinal axis that matches the opening of the tank.

A valve element includes: a loosely insertable wall portion that is loosely inserted in an inside of a connecting portion on a downstream side of a valve seat; a fittable tubular portion that is fitted to the inside of the connecting portion on a downstream side of the loosely insertable wall portion; and a projecting annular portion-that projects from the fittable tubular portion toward a radially inner side of the fittable tubular portion. An outlet portion projects into the fittable tubular portion. A valve spring is located on a radially outer side of the outlet portion and on the radially inner side of the fittable tubular portion to urge the valve element toward the valve seat.

A fuel pump includes a motor having an armature which rotates about an axis, the motor also having a stator which circumferentially surrounds the armature such that a fuel passage is defined between the armature and the stator, whereby rotation of the armature induces a circumferential flow of fuel within the fuel passage; a pumping arrangement which is rotated by the armature and which pumps fuel from a first inlet to a first; a second inlet which introduces fuel into the fuel passage; a second outlet which discharges fuel from the fuel passage; and a flow impedance member in the fuel passage which impedes the circumferential flow of fuel within the fuel passage, thereby generating a pressure gradient across opposing sides of the flow impedance member such that fuel entering the fuel passage is pumped to the second outlet.

A fuel supply device includes a flange unit configured to be attached to an upper wall of a fuel tank to close an opening of the fuel tank, a pump unit configured to be disposed within the fuel tank, and a coupling mechanism moveably coupling the pump unit to the flange unit in a vertically slidable manner. The coupling mechanism includes a fixed-side rail member having a rail portion extending vertically from the flange unit, and a movable-side rail member having a channel-groove shaped rail groove extending from the pump unit. The channel-groove shaped rail groove is slidably engaged with the rail portion of the fixed-side rail member. A recess having a semi-circular cross section is formed at a corner of the rail groove of the movable-side rail member.