The present invention relates to a method and system for injecting fuel with the aid of a fuel-injection system.
German Patent Application No. DE 198 55 547 A1 describes a fuel injector which has a core, a solenoid coil and an armature, which can be acted upon in a lift direction by the solenoid coil counter to a return spring, as well as a valve needle. The valve needle is fixedly connected both to the armature and a valve-closure member cooperating with a fixed sealing seat and forms a displaceable valve member. Situated on the valve needle between the armature and the valve-closure member is an auxiliary body, which is displaceable relative to the valve needle. The valve needle is equipped with an engaging piece such that, in response to a movement of the auxiliary body in the lift direction, the valve needle can be accelerated in the same direction, thereby allowing rapid opening of the fuel injector.
A particular disadvantage of this fuel injector is that, although the opening movement of the fuel injector can occur rapidly, the closing movement occurs linearly at a time delay. This has a disadvantageous effect on the throttling phase of the fuel injector and causes poor carburetion because of a fuel jet that has the form of a cone, the cone angle being small. A large cone angle of the emerging fuel jet is desirable for optimal carburetion, so that the divergence of the emerging fuel jet is able to fill the combustion chamber to best effect, which in turn ensures uniform and complete combustion of the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine.
In contrast, a method for injecting fuel according to an example embodiment of the present invention, and an example fuel-injection system, which includes a fuel injector and a control device according to the present invention offer the advantage that the valve needle is stopped briefly during the closing operation, so that the gap which has formed between the valve seat and valve-closure member as a result of the lift of the valve needle remains constant for a certain period of time. This flow restriction of the fuel injector, which corresponds to an extension of the closing operation, has an advantageous effect on the cone angle of the jet in the vicinity of the nozzle at the nozzle exit, i.e., the cone angle of the jet in the vicinity of the nozzle is enlarged by the method according to the present invention. This results in better atomization of the widened fuel jet and thus in improved air detection, which increases the ignitability of the produced fuel-air mixture.
Another advantage of the present invention consists of an expansion of the spatial and chronological tolerance of the assignment of jet and ignition spark. This means that the actual ignition instant may occur both a small tolerance time in advance of and following the optimal, calculated ignition instant or an ignition instant determined in a simulation. Expanding the spatial tolerance means that even a thinner fuel-air mixture is able to be optimally ignited in the combustion chamber.
Furthermore, it is advantageous that the injected fuel is throttled in the valve seat of the nozzle. This effect is adjustable as a function of a lift of the valve needle and thus adaptable to different embodiments of fuel injectors.
It is also advantageous that the throttling of the fuel injector is able to be switched on and off with the aid of the control device provided for that purpose.
It is also advantageous that a double coil may be used instead of a single solenoid coil, which optionally may be activated or deactivated for the more rapid opening or closing of the fuel injector.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is represented in simplified form in the figures and is explained in greater detail below.
In the following text, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of example on the basis of
As shown in
The second method step is a selective extension of a throttling phase of fuel injector 2 during the time period specified by instant ta 16 and a switch-off instant tc 21. Injected fuel jet 25 is widened during the selective extension of the throttling phase of fuel injector 2, i.e., an individual jet cone angle 39 of conical individual fuel jet 25 is enlarged, while the overall jet-cone angle 40 remains virtually constant. This is illustrated in Figure V.
In a third method step, the current characteristic in solenoid coil 3 during closing phase 11 of fuel injector 2 is specified such that the magnetic field produced by second holding current 13 exerts a specific magnetic force, so that valve needle 6 thereby experiences a defined lift 14 that differs from zero, and retains it constantly for a defined time interval that is shorter than closing phase 11. Lift 14 produced by second holding current 13 is smaller than lift 14 produced by first holding current 12.
Fuel injector 2 includes a solenoid coil 3, which is wound on a coil brace 26. Coil brace 26 is encapsulated in a valve housing 27.
Coil brace 26 is penetrated by a core 29, which is utilized as inner pole and has a tubular design. Valve housing 27, for example, may be used as outer pole of solenoid coil 3. Disposed downstream from inner pole 29 is an armature 5, which is integrally formed on a valve needle 6, for example.
Valve needle 6 is in operative connection, preferably by welding, with a valve-closure member 7, which has a conical shape in the exemplary embodiment and forms a sealing seat together with a valve-seat surface 32 of a valve-seat body 8.
Upstream from the sealing seat is a swirl disk 33. At least one spray-discharge orifice 34 is formed in valve-seat body 8, from which the fuel is injected into the combustion chamber (not shown further).
In the rest state of fuel injector 2, armature 5 is acted upon by a restoring spring 4 in such a way that fuel injector 2 is held closed by the contact pressure of valve-closure member 7 on valve-seat body 8. Restoring spring 4 is disposed in a recess of inner pole 29 and prestressed via a flange and by an adjustment sleeve 38. The fuel, conveyed via a central fuel supply 35, flows through fuel injector 2, through the recess of inner pole 29, and reaches the sealing seat and spray-discharge orifice 34.
If solenoid coil 3 is energized by an electric current via current cable 37 leading to control device 9, then a magnetic field builds up, which, given sufficient intensity, acts upon armature 5 counter to the force of restoring spring 4, counter to the direction of flow of the fuel. This closes a working gap 36 formed between armature 5 and inner pole 29. The movement of armature 5 also carries along in the lift direction valve needle 6 connected to armature 5, so that valve-closure member 7 lifts off from valve-seat body 8 and fuel is conveyed to spray-discharge orifice 34.
Fuel injector 2 is closed as soon as the current that energizes solenoid coil 3 is switched off and the magnetic field has decayed to the point where restoring spring 4 presses armature 5 away from inner pole 29, which causes valve needle 6 to move in the discharge direction and valve-closure member 7 to come to rest on valve-seat body 8.
A control device 9 is connected to fuel injector 2. Control device 9 and fuel injector 2 form fuel-injection system 1 according to the present invention for the injection of fuel into a combustion chamber (not shown further) of an internal combustion engine, fuel injector 2 experiencing a flow restriction during closing phase 11.
This illustrates the difference between the individual jet cone angle and the overall jet cone angle.
The present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment shown. In particular, any combination of the individual features is possible.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2006/064340 | 7/17/2006 | WO | 00 | 3/11/2010 |