1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high pressure fuel supply apparatus chiefly for use in a cylinder fuel injection engine or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In addition, the required fuel flow rate is determined by a control unit not-shown, which also controls the electromagnetic valve 17. The high pressure fuel supplied thus is injected into a cylinder of the internal combustion engine in the form of high pressure mist from a fuel injection valve 10 connected to the delivery pipe 9. When abnormal pressure (high relief valve opening pressure) is placed in the delivery pipe 9, a filter 7 and a high pressure relief valve 8 are opened to prevent the delivery pipe 9 from being broken.
The high pressure fuel supply apparatus 6 which is a high pressure pump, has a filter 11 for filtering the supplied fuel, a low pressure damper 12 for absorbing the pulsation of the low pressure fuel, and a high pressure fuel pump 16 for pressurizing the fuel supplied through the suction valve 13 and discharging the high pressure fuel through a discharge valve 14.
A fuel pressurizing chamber 163 surrounded by a sleeve 160 and a plunger 161 inserted slidably in the sleeve 160 is formed in the high pressure fuel pump 16. The other end of the plunger 161 abuts against a tappet 164 shaped like a closed-end cylinder, and the tappet 164 abuts against a cam 100 as a driving unit to drive the high pressure fuel pump 16. The cam 100 is provided integrally or coaxially with a cam shaft 101 of the engine so as to reciprocate the plunger 161 along the profile of the cam 100 in cooperation with the rotation of a crank shaft of the engine. The volume of the fuel pressurizing chamber 163 is changed by the reciprocating motion of the plunger 161 so that the fuel boosted to high pressure is discharged from the discharge valve 14.
In the high pressure fuel pump 16, a plate 162, the suction valve 13 and the sleeve 160 are held between the casing 61 and an end surface of a spring guide 165, and fastened with a bolt 180. The plate 162 forms a fuel suction port 162a for sucking fuel from the low pressure damper 12 to the fuel pressurizing chamber 163, and a fuel discharge port 162b for discharging the fuel from the fuel pressurizing chamber 163.
The suction valve 13 shaped into a thin plate is formed in the fuel suction port 162a. The discharge valve 14 is provided on the fuel discharge port 162b so as to communicate with the delivery pipe 9 through a high pressure fuel discharge passageway 62 provided in the casing 61. In addition, in order to suck fuel, a spring 167 for pushing the plunger 161 down in a direction to expand the fuel pressurizing chamber 163 is disposed in the state where the spring 167 has been compressed between the spring guide 165 and a spring holder 168.
The electromagnetic valve 17 has an electromagnetic valve body 170, a valve seat 173, a valve 174, and a compression spring 175. The electromagnetic valve body 170 is incorporated in the casing 61 of the high pressure fuel supply apparatus 6 so as to have a fuel channel 172 inside the electromagnetic valve body 170. The valve seat 173 is provided in the fuel channel 172 of the electromagnetic valve body 170. The valve 174 is held on/off the valve seat 173 in the electromagnetic valve body 170 so as to close/open the fuel channel 172. The compression spring 175 presses the valve 174 onto the valve seat 173.
At a point of time when a flow rate requested from a control unit not-shown has been discharged in a discharge stroke of the high pressure fuel pump 16, a solenoid coil 171 of the electromagnetic valve 17 is excited to open the valve 174. Thus, the fuel 2 in the fuel pressurizing chamber 163 is released to the low pressure side between the low pressure damper 12 and the suction valve 13 so that the pressure in the fuel pressurizing chamber 163 is reduced to be not higher than the pressure in the delivery pipe 9. Thus, the discharge valve 14 is closed. After that, the valve 174 of the electromagnetic valve 17 is opened till the high pressure fuel pump 16 proceeds to a suction stroke. The timing to open the electromagnetic valve 17 is controlled so that the amount of fuel discharged into the delivery pipe 9 can be adjusted.
However, the related-art high pressure fuel supply apparatus has problems as follows.
As shown in
To solve such a problem, it can be considered that the thickness of the bottom portion of the tappet 164 is increased to reduce such deformation. However, there is a problem that the weight of the apparatus increases.
It can be also considered that the curvature radius of the cam 100 is increased to enlarge the contact area of the abutment portion of the cam 100 against the tappet 164 to thereby prevent the abrasion in the central portion of the tappet 164. However, there is a problem that the increased diameter of the cam 100 increases the scale and weight of the apparatus.
Further, measures taken to reduce the outer diameter of the plunger 161 to reduce the load with which the tappet 164 is pressed can be also considered. Adversely, the cam lift increases conspicuously so that the traveling speed of the plunger increases conspicuously. Thus, there is a problem that the plunger 161 is burnt.
The invention is developed to solve the foregoing problems. It is an object of the invention to provide a high pressure fuel supply apparatus in which the surface pressure distribution in the abutment surface between a tappet and a cam is adjusted so that the apparatus can be made small in size and light in weight.
According to the invention, there is provided a high pressure fuel supply apparatus having: a plunger reciprocating and sliding in a sleeve of a high pressure fuel pump so as to form a fuel pressurizing chamber between the plunger and the sleeve to thereby discharge pressurized fuel; a tappet reciprocated while abutting against the plunger; and a driving unit abutting against the tappet so as to reciprocate the tappet and the plunger; wherein the tappet has a recess portion formed near a central portion of an abutment surface of the tappet against the plunger.
Preferably, a central axis of the plunger is eccentric to a central axis of the recess portion of the tappet in the abutment surface of the tappet against the plunger.
Preferably, an area of the recess portion of the tappet is not larger than an area of the abutment surface of the tappet against the plunger.
That is, in this embodiment, as shown in
In addition, it is not necessary to take measures to increase the board thickness in the bottom portion of the tappet 164 or increase the curvature radius of the cam 100 as in the related-art examples. Thus, since the surface pressure distribution can be adjusted by only the shape of the tappet 164, the apparatus can be made small in size and light in weight. Further, it is not necessary to take measures to reduce the outer diameter of the plunger 161. Thus, the plunger 161 can be prevented from burning.
Although Embodiment 1 was described on the configuration in which the central axis of the plunger 161 was identical to the central axis of the recess portion 164a of the tappet 164 in the abutment surface of the tappet 164 against the plunger 161, this embodiment has a configuration in which the central axis of the plunger 161 is eccentric to the central axis of the recess portion 164a of the tappet 164 as shown in
With such a configuration, as shown in
Incidentally, in the respective embodiments described above, the shape of the recess portion 164a of the tappet 164, the board thickness of the bottom portion of the tappet 164, and the eccentricity between the central axis of the plunger 161 and the central axis of the recess portion 164a of the tappet 164 do not have to be adjusted by trail and error through design/investigation, trial production and endurance test, but are set by analysis using a finite element method. Thus, a substantially valid surface pressure distribution can be grasped in the planning stage so that the apparatus can be developed in a short time.
As described above, according to aspect 1 of the invention, there is provided a high pressure fuel supply apparatus having: a plunger reciprocating and sliding in a sleeve of a high pressure fuel pump so as to form a fuel pressurizing chamber between the plunger and the sleeve to thereby discharge pressurized fuel; a tappet reciprocated while abutting against the plunger; and a driving unit abutting against the tappet so as to reciprocate the tappet and the plunger; wherein the tappet has a recess portion formed near a central portion of an abutment surface of the tappet against the plunger. Accordingly, abrasion is prevented from occurring in the central portion of the tappet so that the durability of the tappet can be improved. Thus, there is an effect to obtain a high pressure fuel supply apparatus small in size and light in weight.
Further, according to aspect 2 of the invention, a central axis of the plunger is eccentric to a central axis of the recess portion of the tappet in the abutment surface of the tappet against the plunger. Accordingly, the load caused by the abutment between the tappet and the cam is not generated at one and the same place, but is dispersed. Thus, there is obtained an effect that the durability of the tappet can be improved.
Further, according to aspect 3 of the invention, an area of the recess portion of the tappet is not larger than an area of the abutment surface of the tappet against the plunger. Accordingly, abrasion is prevented from occurring in the central portion of the tappet, so that the durability of the tappet can be improved. Thus, there is an effect to obtain a high pressure fuel supply apparatus small in size and light in weight.
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