Patent Application
20130068199
The present disclosure relates to a high pressure solenoid, and more particularly to a high pressure solenoid having a threaded gland nut that allows simple assembly and re-alignment of electrical connectors as well as decrease required service time when the solenoid requires maintenance.
It is important in the design of high pressure solenoids, especially fuel injectors, to provide a device which is both easy to assemble and service.
A typical fuel injector is assembled by fitting the housing of the fuel injector into an opening in a combustion chamber of an engine. In low pressure applications, the fuel injector is held in place via only a friction fit with the opening in the intake manifold. In higher pressure applications, the fuel injector is typically held in place through both a friction fit with the opening in the combustion chamber and a separate clamping assembly attached to a surface in the cylinder head.
It is typically very difficult to remove a fuel injector during a servicing operation because a large amount of force/leverage is required to overcome the friction fit holding the fuel injector in place. In modern engines, there is sometimes not enough room in the engine compartment of a vehicle for a service technician to apply the require amount of force/leverage for removal.
Also, during an assembly/re-assembly operation, it is typically very difficult and time consuming to properly align the electrical connectors of the fuel injectors before fitting the fuel injector in pace in its opening. If alignment is riot correct, the electrical connection can not be properly made and the fuel injector must be removed and re-aligned.
In one form, the present disclosure provides a solenoid that includes a housing having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a bore through the housing and the outer surface including a flange extending therefrom, and a gland nut having a threaded outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface of the gland nut being dimensioned to surround the outer surface of the housing and abut the flange.
In another form, the present disclosure provides a solenoid fluid injector assembly having a tubular housing with an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a bore through the housing and the outer surface including a flange extending radially therefrom. An actuator subassembly and a valve member subassembly are positioned within the bore and electromagnetically coupled to each other, and a terminal is coupled to the actuator assembly. A gland nut having a threaded outer surface and an inner surface surrounds the outer surface of the housing, is rotatable relative to the housing, and abuts the flange.
In yet another form, the present disclosure provides a method of assembling an engine that includes a) providing a solenoid fluid injector having a tubular housing with a bore therethrough and an outer surface including a flange extending radially therefrom, an actuator subassembly positioned within the bore, a valve member subassembly positioned within the bore and electromagnetically coupled to the actuator subassembly, a terminal coupled to the actuator assembly, and a gland nut having a threaded outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface of the gland nut being dimensioned to surround the outer surface of the housing, be rotatable relative to the housing, and abut the flange; b) providing an automotive component having a threaded opening; c) locating the solenoid fluid injector within the threaded opening of the automotive component; d) rotating the housing relative to the gland nut so as to position the terminal in a desired orientation; and e) rotating the gland nut so as to engage the threads of the gland nut with the threaded opening while maintaining the desired orientation of the terminal.
Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, drawings and claims provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description, including disclosed embodiments and drawings, are merely exemplary in nature, intended for purposes of illustration only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, its application, or use. Thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention.
The following detailed description illustrates the present invention incorporated into a fuel injector solenoid. It will be readily apparent to one of skill in the art that the present invention is applicable outside of a fuel injector solenoid configuration and can be configured for use in any automotive component for the purpose of hydraulic flow or pressure control. For example, one of skill in the art will recognize that the solenoid can be configured for use within an electrohydromechanical valvetrain for the purpose of controlling both hydraulic flow and pressure to engine valves so as to control valve lift and timing, or for use in anti-lock braking systems.
Referring now to
An electromagnetic actuator subassembly 22 is positioned within the bore 20 at the upper portion 12 of the housing 10. The electromagnetic actuator subassembly 22 includes a coil 24 and a terminal 26 that actuates the coil 24. The terminal 26 extends out from the actuator subassembly 22 for connection to a lead (not shown) for selectively energizing the coil 24. A combined valve guide 72, seat 74, armature 76 and valve member 78 subassembly 28 is located within the bore 20 at the lower portion 14 of the housing 10. Energizing of the coil 24 causes reciprocal movement of the armature 76 within subassembly 28. This reciprocal movement is used to direct a spray of fuel into a combustion chamber associated with the fuel injector 1.
The outer surface 18 of the housing 10 includes a radially outwardly extending flange portion 30 encircling the housing 10 at approximately the midportion thereof. A gland nut 32 is provided around the outer surface 18 of the housing 10, adjacent to and abutting the flange portion 30. An inner surface 34 of the gland nut 32 is configured so as to allow the gland nut 32 to rotate relative to the housing 10. An outer surface 36 of the gland nut 32 includes a thread 38 along a lower portion thereof, and an upper portion of the gland nut 32 is provided with angled linear surfaces 40 configured to be gripped by a tool such that the gland nut 32 can be rotated and engaged with corresponding threads within an opening in an automotive component, such as the corresponding threads 50 within an opening 52 in the cylinder head 56 of the engine as shown in more detail in
The fuel injector 1 also preferably has a ring retainer 42 attached to the upper portion 12 of the housing 10. In the configuration shown in
The ring retainer 42 keeps the gland nut 32 from being separated from the housing 10 while also allowing the gland nut 32 to rotate relative to the housing 10. In addition, and as shown in
Referring now to
One of the important improvements realized with the use of the ring retainer is the increased serviceability of the solenoid. Because the gland nut 32 is positioned between the ring retainer 42 and the flange 30, and rotatable relative to the housing 10, when a service operation is carried out to remove the solenoid, the gland nut 32 is unscrewed and pushes against the ring retainer 42 to assist in forcing the solenoid out of the opening in the automotive component. This extra leverage provided by the gland nut 32 against the retainer ring 42 allows the solenoid to be easily extracted.
With the above described configuration, assembly/repair of the fuel injector is simplified and assembly/repair time can be significantly decreased.
