Patent Grant
10519913
The present invention relates to a high-pressure pump used for an internal combustion engine.
The high-pressure pump is generally provided with a plunger which reciprocates along a camshaft of an engine. Specifically, when the plunger slides down from its top dead center to its bottom dead center, a fuel in a fuel gallery is suctioned into a pressurization chamber (suction stroke). When the plunger slides up from the bottom dead center to the top dead center, a part of the low-pressure fuel is returned to the fuel gallery from the pressurization chamber (metering stroke). Then, after a metering valve is closed, when the plunger further slides up, the fuel in the pressurization chamber is pressurized by the plunger (pressurization stroke).
During the metering stroke, the metering valve is lifted up. If dynamic pressure of fuel returning from the pressurization chamber to the fuel gallery is allied to the lifted metering valve, the valve is brought into a closed position by itself. This phenomenon is referred to as self-closing phenomenon. The dynamic pressure corresponds to kinetic energy per unit volume of the fluid.
Japanese Patent No. 3833505 shows a metering valve having a cup-shaped valve body in which a spring is provided. A stopper defines a fuel passage and a sliding surface on which valve body slides. In order to avoid wringing, fuel is introduced inside of the valve body. The dynamic pressure of fuel discharged during the metering stroke is applied to an inside surface of the valve body, which may cause the self-closing phenomenon.
Japanese Patent No. 2762652 and Japanese Patent No. 4285883 show a valve having a fuel passage radially outside of a contacting surface between the valve and the stopper. Specifically, in Japanese Patent No. 2762652, a stopper is provided with a penetrating hole, whereby it is restricted that the dynamic pressure of fuel is applied to a tip surface of the valve. In Japanese Patent No. 4285883, a stopper plate has a notch portion, whereby it is restricted that the dynamic pressure of fuel is applied to a tip surface of the valve.
In Japanese Patent No. 2762652, since the tip surface of the valve defines a valve lift amount, the tip surface is polished. Thus, an outer periphery of the tip surface is tapered. Also in Japanese Patent No. 4285883, an outer periphery of the valve is tapered.
As above, in the conventional valve, although the dynamic pressure of fuel is not applied to a tip surface of the valve, the dynamic pressure of fuel is applied to the tapered surface, which may cause a self-closing phenomenon.
The present invention is made in view of the above matters, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a high-pressure pump in which it is restricted that dynamic pressure of fuel is applied to a valve and a self-closing phenomenon occurs during a metering stroke.
According to the present invention, a high-pressure pump performs a metering stroke in which a part of fuel suctioned into a pressurization chamber from a fuel gallery is returned to the fuel gallery. The high-pressure pump is provided with a housing, a seat body, a valve, a valve stopper, and a cylindrical sleeve.
The housing forms a contour of the high-pressure pump. The housing has a cylindrical seat body which defines a valve seat. The valve is slidably supported by the seat body.
The valve is capable of sitting on the valve seat by a fuel pressure in the pressurization chamber so as to interrupt a hydraulic communication between the pressurization chamber and the fuel gallery. An end surface of the valve is brought in contact with a regulation portion of the stopper, whereby a lift amount of the valve is restricted.
The cylindrical sleeve is disposed around the regulation portion and covers a tapered surface which is formed at outer periphery of the end surface of the valve in a situation that the end surface of the valve is in contact with the regulation portion. The cylindrical sleeve covers a part of tapered surface or the whole of the tapered surface.
Thereby, it is restricted that the dynamic pressure of fuel is applied to the tapered surface during a metering stroke. It is surely avoided that a self-closing phenomenon occurs during a metering stroke.
An area of the tapered surface can be enlarged. Thereby, weight of the valve can be reduced, a response is improved and noise vibration (NV) is reduced. Further, since an outer diameter of a contact surface between the valve and the regulation portion can be made smaller, a wringing force can be restricted to improve the response of the valve.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated by like reference numbers and in which:
Hereafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter. A high-pressure pump is mounted to a vehicle for pumping up fuel in a fuel tank through a fuel inlet and pressurizes the fuel. The high-pressure pump supplies the pressurized fuel to a fuel rail to which an injector is connected. The fuel inlet of the high-pressure pump is fluidly connected to a low-pressure pump (not shown) through a pipe.
As shown in
The main body 10 includes a housing 11 which forms an outer profile of the high-pressure pump 1. The fuel supply portion 30 is formed on the housing 11.
The plunger portion 70 is formed at an opposite side of the fuel supply portion 30. A pressurization chamber 12 is defined in the housing 11 between the plunger portion 70 and the fuel supply portion 30. The metering valve portion 50 and the discharge valve portion 90 are formed at left side and right side of the main body 10 respectively.
Then, the configurations of the fuel supply portion 30, the metering valve portion 50, the plunger portion 70, and the discharge valve portion 90 will be described in detail, hereinafter.
The fuel supply portion 30 includes a fuel gallery 31. The fuel gallery 31 is a space defined by a concave portion 13 of the housing 11 and a lid member 14. A damper unit 32 is provided in the fuel gallery 31. The damper unit 32 is comprised of a damper member 35, a bottom-side supporting member 36 disposed on a bottom 15 of the concave portion 13, and a lid-side supporting member 37 disposed under the lid member 14. The damper member 35 is comprised of two metallic diaphragms 33, 34. The fuel gallery 31 has a recess portion 151 receiving the bottom-side supporting member 36. The position of the bottom-side supporting member 36 is fixed by the recess portion 151.
A wavy disc spring 38 is disposed on the lid-side supporting member 37. In a condition where the lid member 14 is attached to the housing 11, the wavy disc spring 38 urges the lid-side supporting member 37 toward the bottom 15. Consequently, an outer periphery of the damper member 35 is cramped by the lid-side supporting member 37 and the bottom-side supporting member 36, whereby the damper member 35 is supported in the fuel gallery 31.
Then, the plunger portion 70 will be described. As shown in
The plunger 71 has a large diameter portion 711 and a small diameter portion 712. The large diameter portion 711 is slidablly supported in a cylinder 16 which is formed in the housing 11. The small diameter portion 712 is surrounded by an oil seal holder 72. An outer diameter of the small diameter portion 712 is smaller than that of the large diameter portion 711. The small diameter portion 712 is surrounded by the oil-seal holder 25. The large diameter portion 711 and the small diameter portion 712 axially reciprocate.
The oil-seal holder 72 is arranged at an opening end of the cylinder 16 and has a base portion 721 surrounding the small diameter portion 712 of the plunger 71 and a press-insert portion 722 which is press-inserted into the housing 11.
The base portion 721 has a ring-shaped seal 723 therein. The ring-shaped seal 723 is comprised of an inner seal member and an outer O-ring. A thickness of the fuel on the small diameter portion 712 is adjusted by the ring-shaped seal 723 to restrict a leakage of the fuel.
The base portion 721 has an oil-seal 725 on its tip end. A thickness of the oil on the small diameter portion 712 is adjusted by the oil-seal 725 to restrict a leakage of the oil.
The press-insert portion 722 cylindrically extends from the base portion 721. Meanwhile, the housing 11 has a concave portion 17 receiving the press-insert portion 722. Thereby, the oil-seal holder 72 is press-inserted into the housing 11 in such a manner that the press-insert portion 722 is press-fitted to an outer wall of the concave portion 17.
A spring seat 73 is provided at an end of the plunger 71. The tip end of the plunger 71 is in contact with a tappet (not shown). The tappet is in contact with a cam (not shown) of a camshaft and reciprocates according to a cam profile of the cam. Thereby, the plunger 71 reciprocates in its axial direction.
One end of the plunger spring 74 is engaged with the spring seat 73 and the other end of the plunger spring 74 is engaged with the press-insert portion 722. The plunger spring 74 biases the plunger 71 downwardly so that the plunger 71 is in contact with the tappet.
The plunger 71 reciprocates along with a cam profile of a camshaft. According to a reciprocation of the large diameter portion 711 of the plunger 71, a volume of the pressurization chamber 12 is varied.
Moreover, a variable volume chamber 75 is defined around the small diameter portion 712 of the plunger 71. In the present embodiment, the variable volume chamber 75 is defined by the cylinder 16, a bottom end of the large diameter portion 711 of the plunger 71, an outer surface of the small diameter portion 712, and the seal 723 of the oil-seal holder 72. The seal 723 hermetically seals the variable volume chamber 75 to avoid a fuel leakage therefrom.
The variable volume chamber 75 is fluidly connected to the fuel gallery 31 through a cylindrical passage 727 formed between the press-insert portion 722 and the concave portion 17, an annular passage 728 formed at a bottom of the concave portion 17, and a return passage 18 formed in the housing 11 which is illustrated by dashed lines in
Next, the metering valve portion 50 will be described in detail. As shown in
A needle 59 is in contact with the valve 57. This needle 59 penetrates the valve cover 52 and extends to an interior of the connector 53. The connector 53 has a coil 531 and a terminal 532 for energizing the coil 531. A fixed core 533, a movable core 534, and a spring 535 are disposed inside of the coil 531. The needle 59 is mechanically connected to the movable core 534. That is, the movable core 534 and the needle 59 slide together.
When the coil 531 is energized through the terminal 532, a magnetic attraction force is generated between the fixed core 533 and the movable core 534. The movable core 534 is attracted to the fixed core 533 with the needle 59. At this time, a movement of the valve 57 is not restricted by the needle 59. Thus, the valve 57 seats on the seat body 56 to disconnect the fuel passage 55 and the pressurization chamber 12.
A biasing force of the spring 535 is greater than that of the spring 614. Thus, when the coil 531 is deenergized, the movable core 534 moves apart from the fixed core 533 by a biasing force of the spring 535. The needle 59 comes close to the compression chamber 12. The movement of the valve 57 is restricted by the needle 59. The valve 57 is unseated from the seat body 56 so that the fuel passage 55 communicates with the pressurization chamber 12.
Then, the discharge valve portion 90 will be described in detail, hereinafter. The discharge valve portion 90 has a cylindrical accommodation portion 91 of the housing 11, as shown in
The discharge valve 92 is biased to the valve seat by the spring 93 and a fuel pressure from a fuel rail (not shown). While the fuel pressure in the pressurization chamber 12 is relatively low, the discharge valve 92 seats on the valve seat so that no fuel is discharged from the discharge port 95. Meanwhile, when the fuel pressure in the pressurization chamber 12 exceeds the biasing force of the spring 93 and the fuel pressure from the fuel rail, the discharge valve 92 is unseated from the valve seat, so that the fuel in the compression chamber 12 is discharged from the discharge port 95. Thereby, the fuel in the accommodation chamber 911 is discharged from the discharge port 95.
In the present embodiment, the metering valve 50, which is encircled by “T” in
The valve 57 is provided with a shaft portion 571 and a radially enlarged portion 572 (refer to
The stopper 61 has a fuel passage 616 communicating with the pressurization chamber 12. Further, the stopper 61 has a regulation portion 611 which the end surface 573 is brought into contact with. The area of regulation portion 611 which is in contact with the end surface 537 of valve 57 when the valve 57 abuts the stopper 61 define a contact surface. An outer diameter of the regulation portion 611 is equal to an outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 575 of the valve 57. Further, the regulation portion 611 has an inner wall 610 that defines an accommodation space 613 therein. This accommodation space 613 accommodates a spring 614 which biases the valve 57 toward the valve seat 561. The regulation portion 611 has a tunnel passage 615 which communicates the accommodation space 613 with exterior thereof.
A cylindrical sleeve 62 is disposed around the regulation portion 611. The sleeve 62 has an aperture 62a communicating with the tunnel passage 615. The sleeve 62 protrudes to the valve 57 from the regulation portion 611. At least when the end surface 573 is in contact with the regulation portion 611, the sleeve 62 covers the tapered surface 574 of the valve 57.
During a metering stroke, the end surface 573 is in contact with the regulation portion 611 and the fuel in the pressurization chamber 12 is returned to the fuel gallery 31 through the fuel passage 616.
The valve 57 is positioned away from the valve seat 561 by a biasing force of the spring 535.
If the sleeve 62 is not provided, it is necessary to increase a biasing force of the spring 535 in order to restrict the self-closing phenomenon. Consequently, it is necessary to increase magnetic attraction force when the valve 57 is opened. The metering valve portion 50 becomes larger and its control current increases.
Contrarily, according to the present embodiment, the sleeve 62 covers the tapered surface 574 of the valve 57. Thereby, it is restricted that the dynamic pressure of fuel is applied to the tapered surface 574. It is surely avoided that a self-closing phenomenon occurs during a metering stroke. Consequently, the metering valve portion 50 can be made smaller and its control current can be reduced, which can improve fuel economy.
Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the regulation portion 611 includes the tunnel passage 615 and the sleeve 62 includes the aperture 62a. The accommodation space 613 communicates with the exterior space through the aperture 62a and the tunnel passage 615. Thereby, a wringing force is restricted and a response of the valve 57 is ensured when closing.
As shown in
Also, as shown in
In a second and the successive embodiments, the same parts and components as those in the first embodiment are indicated with the same reference numerals and the same descriptions will not be reiterated.
In the second embodiment, a configuration of the sleeve is different from that in the first embodiment.
A sleeve 810 shown in
In a third embodiment, a configuration of the sleeve is different from those in the above embodiments.
A sleeve 820 shown in
In a fourth embodiment, a configuration of the sleeve is different from that in the above embodiments.
A sleeve 830 shown in
In the second embodiment, a configuration of the sleeve is different from that in the first embodiment.
A sleeve 840 shown in
In the second embodiment, a configuration of the sleeve is different from that in the first embodiment.
A sleeve 850 shown in
A seat body 620 has a valve seat 621 and a fuel passage 622 communicating with the fuel gallery. Further, a stopper 630 has a fuel passage 631 communicating with the pressurization chamber. As shown in
The valve 860 includes an end surface 861, a tapered surface 862, an outer peripheral surface 863 and a seat surface 864 which can sit on the valve seat 620 of the seat body 620.
A cylindrical sleeve 870 is disposed around the regulation portion 632. A sleeve 870 has an open end of which inner diameter is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 863. When the end surface 861 is in contact with the regulation portion 632, the sleeve 870 covers a tapered surface 862 of the valve 860.
In the present embodiment, the valve 860 is integrally formed with a needle. Unlike the above embodiments, the stopper 630 has no accommodation space and no spring biasing the valve 860 toward the valve seat 621.
As shown in
In a case that the valve 860 and the needle are not formed from a single integrated piece, the valve 860 defines an accommodation space 865 in which a spring 866 is disposed. One end of the spring 866 is engaged with the regulation portion 632, as shown in
A seat body 650 includes a valve seat 651 and a fuel passage 652 which communicates with the fuel gallery. Further, a stopper 660 includes a fuel passage 661 which communicates with the pressurization chamber. As shown in
The valve 880 includes an end surface 881, a tapered surface 882, an outer peripheral surface 883 and a seat surface 884 which can sit on the valve seat 651 of the seat body 650.
A cylindrical sleeve 872 is disposed around the regulation portion 662. When the end surface 881 is in contact with the regulation portion 662, the sleeve 872 covers a tapered surface 882 of the valve 880.
The valve 880 is integrally formed with a needle. Unlike the above embodiments, the stopper 660 has no accommodation space and no spring biasing the valve 880 toward the valve seat 651.
As shown in
The configuration shown in
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments mentioned above, and can be applied to various embodiments.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-22032 | Feb 2010 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/900,205 filed Feb. 20, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/017,909 filed Feb. 8, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/535,943 filed Nov. 7, 2014 (abandoned), which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/009,097 filed Jan. 19, 2011 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,992,185), which is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-22032 filed Feb. 3, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
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| 2009-275540 | Nov 2009 | JP |
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| Entry |
|---|
| Crane. “Chapter 2 Flow of Fluids through Valves and Fittings.” Flow of Fluids through Valves Fittings and Pipe. 2013 ed. Stamford, CT: Crane, 2013. 2-1+. Print. 2-1 to 2-3, 2-6 to 2-11, 6-5, A-27 to A-29. |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190120190 A1 | Apr 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13009097 | Jan 2011 | US |
| Child | 14535943 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15900205 | Feb 2018 | US |
| Child | 16225305 | US | |
| Parent | 15017909 | Feb 2016 | US |
| Child | 15900205 | US | |
| Parent | 14535943 | Nov 2014 | US |
| Child | 15017909 | US |
