Most modern automotive fuel systems utilize fuel injectors to provide precise metering of fuel for introduction into each combustion chamber. Additionally, the fuel injector atomizes the fuel during injection, breaking the fuel into a large number of very small particles, increasing the surface area of the fuel being injected, and allowing the oxidizer, typically ambient air, to more thoroughly mix with the fuel prior to combustion. The metering and atomization of the fuel reduces combustion emissions and increases the fuel efficiency of the engine. Thus, as a general rule, the greater the precision in metering and targeting of the fuel and the greater the atomization of the fuel, the lower the emissions with greater fuel efficiency.
An electromagnetic fuel injector typically utilizes a solenoid assembly to supply an actuating force to a fuel metering assembly. Typically, the fuel metering assembly includes a seat and closure member, which reciprocates between a closed position, where the closure member is seated in a seat to prevent fuel from escaping through a metering orifice into the combustion chamber, and an open position, where the closure member is lifted from the seat, allowing fuel to discharge through the metering orifice for introduction into the combustion chamber.
The fuel injector is typically mounted upstream of the intake valve in the intake manifold or proximate a cylinder head. As the intake valve opens on an intake port of the cylinder, fuel is sprayed towards the intake port. In one situation, it may be desirable to target the fuel spray at the intake valve head or stem while in another situation, it may be desirable to target the fuel spray at the intake port instead of at the intake valve. In both situations, the targeting of the fuel spray can be affected by the spray or cone pattern. Where the cone pattern has a large divergent cone shape, the fuel sprayed may impact on a surface of the intake port rather than towards its intended target. Conversely, where the cone pattern has a narrow divergence, the fuel may not atomize and may even recombine into a liquid stream. In either case, incomplete combustion may result, leading to an increase in undesirable exhaust emissions.
Complicating the requirements for targeting and spray pattern is cylinder head configuration, intake geometry and intake port specific to each engine's design. As a result, a fuel injector designed for a specified cone pattern and targeting of the fuel spray may work extremely well in one type of engine configuration but may present emissions and driveability issues upon installation in a different type of engine configuration. Additionally, as more and more vehicles are produced using various configurations of engines (for example: inline-4, inline-6, V-6, V-8, V-12, W-8 etc.,), emission standards have become stricter, leading to tighter metering, spray targeting and spray or cone pattern requirements of the fuel injector for each engine configuration.
It is believed that one approach to meeting emission standards in a fuel injector is to minimize the so-called “sac volume.” As it is used in this disclosure, sac volume is defined as a volume downstream of a closure member/seat sealing perimeter and upstream of the orifice hole(s), which can be also viewed as the volume of fuel remaining in the interior of the tip of the injector. This volume of fuel is believed to affect combustion and unwanted emission at the end of a fuel injection cycle, and therefore, it is believed that such sac volume should be minimized.
It is also believed that a metering disc can be deformed to provide a dimpled surface. Such dimpled surface is believed to allow a metering orifice to be oriented relative to a referential datum by a single included angle. However, by orientating the metering orifice with a single included angle, such metering disc apparently fails to permit targeting of the fuel spray consonant with the metering, spray targeting and spray or cone pattern requirements particular to each type of engines. Moreover, such metering disc, when used in a fuel injector, may cause the fuel injector to have a large sac volume that could affect combustion and unwanted emission in the engine in which such injector is utilized therein.
The present invention provides fuel targeting and fuel spray distribution with non-angled metering orifices in a metering disc that can be deformed to provide a metering orifice oriented with respect to two referential datum planes. In a preferred embodiment, a fuel injector is provided. The fuel injector comprises a seat, movable closure member, and a metering disc. The seat includes a passage extending along a longitudinal axis between an inlet and outlet. The movable member cooperates with the seat to permit and prevent a flow of fuel through the passage. The metering disc includes peripheral, central and intermediate portions. The peripheral portion extends generally parallel to a base plane, and the base plane being generally orthogonal with respect to the longitudinal axis. The intermediate portion is disposed radially with respect to the longitudinal axis between the peripheral and central portions. The intermediate portion includes a plurality of surfaces intersecting with the base plane and a plurality of metering orifices disposed on respective plurality of surfaces. The metering orifices penetrating the intermediate portion, and each of the plurality of orifices extends along a respective orifice axis at a first angle relative to a radial axis from the longitudinal axis through the metering orifice axis, and at a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis.
In yet another embodiment, a method of controlling a spray angle of fuel flow through at least one metering orifice of a fuel injector is provided. The fuel injector has an inlet and an outlet and a passage extending along a longitudinal axis therethrough. The outlet has a seat and a metering disc. The metering disc includes peripheral, central, and intermediate portions. The peripheral portion extends generally parallel to a base plane, and the base plane being generally orthogonal with respect to the longitudinal axis. The intermediate portion is disposed radially with respect to the longitudinal axis between the peripheral and central portions. The method can be achieved by locating a plurality of metering orifices about the longitudinal axis such that the metering orifices extend generally parallel to the longitudinal axis through the metering disc to define respective generally parallel metering axes; and deforming at least one of the intermediate and central portions of the metering disc so that each of the metering axes extend along a respective orifice axis at a first angle relative to a radial axis from the longitudinal axis through the metering orifice axis, and at a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the invention.
The guide member 127, seat 134, and metering disc 10 form a stacked assembly that is coupled at the outlet end of fuel injector 100 by a suitable coupling technique, such as, for example, crimping, welding, bonding or riveting. Armature 124 and the closure member 126 are coupled together to form an closure assembly 126 assembly. It should be noted that one skilled in the art could form the assembly from a single component instead of a plurality of components.
Coil assembly 120 includes a plastic bobbin on which an electromagnetic coil 122 is wound. Respective terminations of coil 122 connect to respective terminals 122a, 122b that are shaped and, in cooperation with a connector portion 118a formed as an integral part of overmold 118, to form an electrical connector for connecting the fuel injector 100 to an electronic control unit (not shown) that operates the fuel injector.
Fuel inlet tube 110 can be ferromagnetic and includes a fuel inlet opening at the exposed upper end. Filter assembly 114 can be fitted proximate to the open upper end of adjustment tube 112 to filter any particulate material larger than a certain size from fuel entering through inlet opening before the fuel enters adjustment tube 112.
In the calibrated fuel injector, adjustment tube 112 has been positioned axially to an axial location within fuel inlet tube 110 that compresses preload spring 116 to a desired bias force that urges the closure assembly 126 such that the rounded tip end of closure member 126 can be seated on seat 134 to close the central hole through the seat. Preferably, tubes 110 and 112 are crimped together to maintain their relative axial positioning after adjustment calibration has been performed.
After passing through adjustment tube 112, fuel enters a volume that is cooperatively defined by confronting ends of inlet tube 110 and armature 124 and that contains preload or bias spring 116. Armature 124 includes a passageway 128 that communicates volume 125 with a passageway 113 in valve body 130, and guide member 127 contains fuel passage holes 127a, 127b. This allows fuel to flow from volume 125 through passageways 113, 128 to seat 134.
Non-ferromagnetic shell 110a can be telescopically fitted on and joined to the lower end of inlet tube 110, as by a hermetic laser weld. Shell 110a has a tubular neck that telescopes over a tubular neck at the lower end of fuel inlet tube 110. Shell 110a also has a shoulder that extends radially outwardly from neck. Valve body shell 132a can be ferromagnetic and can be joined in fluid-tight manner to non-ferromagnetic shell 110a, preferably also by a hermetic laser weld.
The upper end of valve body 130 fits closely inside the lower end of valve body shell 132a and these two parts are joined together in fluid-tight manner, preferably by laser welding. Armature 124 can be guided by the inside wall of valve body 130 for axial reciprocation. Further axial guidance of the closure assembly 126 assembly can be provided by a central guide hole in member 127 through which closure member 126 passes. The construction of fuel injector 100 can be of a type similar to those disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,854,024; 5,174,505; and 6,520,421 with respect to details that are not specifically portrayed in
Referring to a close up illustration of the seat subassembly of the fuel injector in
Downstream of the circular wall 134b, the seat 134 tapers along a portion 134c obliquely towards a bottom surface 134e. The taper of the portion 134c preferably can be linear or curvilinear with respect to the longitudinal axis A1-A2, such as, for example, a curvilinear taper that forms an interior dome. In one preferred embodiment, the taper of the portion 134c is linearly tapered (
A central interior face 44 of the metering disc 10 is provided in a facing arrangement with the orifice 135. The metering disc 10 includes a first surface 10a facing towards the inlet of the fuel injector 100 and a second surface 10b spaced from the first surface 10a. The first surface 10a is preferably contiguous to the bottom surface 134e of the seat 134.
Viewing the surface 10b in the plan view of
Preferably, the dimpled central portion 40 includes a curved or radiused dimple 42 (
In the preferred embodiment of
Referring to
Furthermore, each of the metering orifices 1-10 can be oriented at a second angle ∃n with respect to a longitudinal axis Zn generally parallel to the longitudinal axis A1-A2 as shown in
The surface 10a and surface 10b can be performed simultaneously or one surface can be deformed during a time interval that may overlap a time interval of the deformation of the other surface. Alternatively, the first surface 10a can be deformed before the second surface 10b is deformed. In a preferred embodiment, the surface 10a is deformed at a time interval that substantially overlaps the time interval of the deformation of the second surface 10b.
In operation, the fuel injector 100 is initially at the non-injecting position shown in
When electromagnetic coil 122 is energized, the spring force on armature 124 can be overcome and the armature is attracted toward inlet tube 110 reducing working axial gap. This unseats closure member 126 from seat 134 to open the fuel injector so that pressurized fuel in the valve body 132 flows through the seat orifice and through orifices formed on the metering disc 10. When the coil 122 ceases to be energized, preload spring 116 pushes or biases the closure member 126 against the seat 134 to prevent fuel flow to the orifice 135.
As described, the preferred embodiments, including the techniques of controlling spray angle targeting and distribution are not limited to the fuel injector described but can be used in conjunction with other fuel injectors such as, for example, the fuel injectors set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,225 issued on Feb. 27, 1996, or the modular fuel injectors set forth in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/828,487 filed on 9 Apr. 2001, which is pending, and wherein both of these documents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties herein.
While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to certain embodiments, numerous modifications, alterations and changes to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the sphere and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but that it has the full scope defined by the language of the following claims, and equivalents thereof.