Patent Application
20100001101
The invention relates to a nozzle module for an injection valve.
Ever more stringent statutory requirements relating to the permissible emission of harmful substances from internal combustion engines employed in motor vehicles make it necessary to adopt various measures by means of which the harmful emissions can be reduced. One approach here is to cut the harmful emissions generated by the internal combustion engine. The formation of soot depends greatly on the preparation of the air/fuel mixture in the particular cylinder of the internal combustion engine.
A correspondingly improved mixture preparation can be achieved if the fuel is metered at a very high pressure. In the case of diesel internal combustion engines, the fuel pressures amount to up to more than 2000 bar. High pressures of this type place high demands both on the material of the nozzle module and also on the structure thereof. At the same time, larger forces must be absorbed by the nozzle module.
According to various embodiments, a nozzle module and an injection valve can be created which enable reliable and precise operation.
According to an embodiment, a nozzle module for an injection valve, may comprise—a nozzle body, which has a nozzle body recess with a wall, wherein the nozzle body recess can be hydraulically coupled to a high pressure circuit of a fluid, —a seal seat formed on the wall of the nozzle body recess, —at least one nozzle needle arranged in an axially moveable fashion in the nozzle body recess with a central axis, —wherein the nozzle needle comprises a seat area with a sealing surface and the sealing surface interacts with the seal seat such that in a closed position the nozzle needle prevents fluid from flowing through the at least one injection nozzle and in an open position releases a fluid flow through the at least one injection nozzle, —wherein the nozzle needle comprises a supporting area, which is arranged radially outside and axially at a distance from the seat area and which is operable to support the nozzle needle against the wall of the nozzle body recess when the nozzle needle is in the closed position, and —wherein the nozzle needle comprises at least one nozzle needle recess, which is arranged and embodied such that when the supporting area abuts the wall of the nozzle body recess, an area of the nozzle body recess, which axially faces away from the seat area in respect of the supporting area, is hydraulically coupled to an area of the nozzle body recess which axially faces the seat area in respect of the supporting area.
According to a further embodiment, the nozzle needle recess may be embodied as a groove in the supporting area. According to a further embodiment, the nozzle needle recess may be embodied as a through-channel in the supporting area. According to a further embodiment, the nozzle body may comprise several nozzle needle recesses, which, in respect of the central axis of the nozzle needle, are arranged distributed across the supporting area in a rotationally-symmetrically fashion. According to a further embodiment, the seat area and the supporting area may be embodied such that when the nozzle needle is in the open position, a minimal distance between the supporting area and the wall of the nozzle body recess is smaller than a minimal distance between the seat area and the wall of the nozzle body recess. According to a further embodiment, the seat area and the supporting area may be embodied such that in the open position of the nozzle needle, a minimal distance between the supporting area and the wall of the nozzle body recess is greater than a minimal distance between the seat area and the wall of the nozzle body recess.
According to another embodiment, an injection valve may comprise such a nozzle module as described above and an injector module, with the injector module being embodied to act on the nozzle module.
Exemplary embodiments are described in more detail below with reference to the schematic drawings, in which;
Elements of the same structure or function are provided with the same reference characters in all of the figures.
According to a first aspect, a nozzle module for an injection valve, may comprise a nozzle body, which has a nozzle body recess with a wall. The nozzle body recess can be hydraulically coupled to a high pressure circuit of the fluid. The nozzle module has a seal seat embodied on the wall of the nozzle module recess and at least one nozzle needle which is arranged so as to be axially moveable in the nozzle body recess, said nozzle needle having a central axis. The nozzle needle has a seat area with a sealing surface. The sealing surface interacts with the seal seat such that the nozzle needle, in a closed position, prevents fluid from flowing through the at least one injection nozzle and, in an open position, releases the fluid flow through the at least one injection nozzle. The nozzle needle has a supporting area, which is arranged radially outside and at an axial distance from the seat area, and is embodied so as to support the nozzle needle on the wall of the nozzle body recess when the nozzle needle is in the closed position. The nozzle needle has at least one nozzle needle recess, which is arranged and embodied such that when the supporting area abuts the wall of the nozzle body recess, a area of the nozzle body recess which axially faces away from the seat area in respect of the supporting area is hydraulically coupled to an area of the nozzle body recess which axially faces the seat area in respect of the supporting area.
The at least one nozzle needle recess allows the fluid to flow between the areas of the nozzle body recess, which axially face away from the seat area in respect of the supporting area and areas of the nozzle body recess, which axially face the seat area in respect of the supporting area, even if the supporting area rests against the wall of the nozzle body recess.
This arrangement may be advantageous in that the force of the nozzle needle can be distributed on the seat area and the supporting area. The surface pressure on the seal seat can be kept to a minimum. This allows wear of the nozzle body or of the nozzle needle to be prevented or kept to a minimum. A change in the opening time of the nozzle needle and thus of the injection quantity over the service life of the injection valve can be prevented. Introducing the force of the nozzle needle onto the nozzle body can take place at a large radial distance from the central axis of the nozzle needle, so that the nozzle body, in particular in the area of the nozzle cone near to the central axis, can be subject to a smaller load.
In a further embodiment, the nozzle needle recess can be embodied as a groove in the supporting area. This may be advantageous in that the nozzle needle recess can be easily introduced into the nozzle needle, for instance by means of milling.
In a further embodiment, the nozzle needle recess can be embodied as a through-channel in the supporting area. This allows the nozzle needle recess to be easily inserted into the nozzle needle, for instance through holes.
In a further embodiment, the nozzle body may have several nozzle needle recesses, which, in respect of the central axis of the nozzle needle, are arranged distributed over the supporting area in a rotationally symmetrical fashion. A rotationally symmetrical distribution of the nozzle needle recesses across the circumference of the nozzle body can result in a particularly uniform flow of fluid through the nozzle needle recesses across the circumference of the nozzle needle.
In a further embodiment, the seat area and the supporting area can be embodied such that when the nozzle needle is in the open position, a minimum distance between the supporting area and the wall of the nozzle body recess is smaller than a minimum distance between the seat area and the wall of the nozzle body recess. This allows force to be transferred from the nozzle needle onto the nozzle body during the whole period of contact between the nozzle needle and the seal seat.
In a further embodiment, the seat area and the supporting area can be embodied such that in the open position of the nozzle needle, a minimum distance between the supporting area and the wall of the nozzle body recess is greater than a minimum distance between the seat area and the wall of the nozzle body recess. It is thus possible to prevent an overdimensioning of a contact between the nozzle needle and the wall of the nozzle body recess.
According to a second aspect, an injection valve may comprise a nozzle module according to the first aspect and an injector module. The injector module is embodied so as to act on the nozzle module.
The nozzle module 10 has a nozzle body 12, the injector module 11 has an injector body 13. The nozzle body 12 is permanently fastened to the injector body 13 by means of a nozzle clamping nut 24. The nozzle body 12 and the injector body 13 thus form a common housing of the injection valve.
The injector body 13 has a recess 36 in which an actuator 38 is arranged. The actuator 38 is embodied as a stroke actuator and is preferably a piezoactuator, which includes a stack of piezoelectric elements. The piezoactuator changes its axial extension as a function of an applied voltage signal. The actuator can however also be embodied as another actuator which is known to the person skilled in the art for this purpose and is known to be suitable.
The actuator 38 acts on a stroke converter by way of a transformer 40. The stroke converter includes a cup-shaped body 42, which is arranged in a nozzle body recess 14 of the nozzle body 12 and is preferably guided herein. In this exemplary embodiment the cup-shaped body 42 protrudes into the recess 36 of the injector body 13. The nozzle body recess 14 has a wall 16. A nozzle needle 18 with a central axis Z is arranged in the nozzle body recess 14, the latter forming the nozzle module 10 together with the nozzle body 12.
The nozzle needle 18 is hydraulically coupled to the cup-shaped body 42 by way of a transformer chamber 20. The transformer chamber 20 is delimited by a frontal surface embodied on the cup edge of the cup-shaped body 42, by a projection on the nozzle body recess 14 and by a projection of the nozzle needle 18.
The nozzle needle 18 is guided into an area of the nozzle body recess 14. It is also prestressed by means of a nozzle spring 22, such that it prevents fluid from flowing through an injection nozzle arranged in a nozzle cone 23 of the nozzle body 12, if no additional forces act on the nozzle needle 16. The nozzle spring 22 is arranged in a high pressure chamber 28 which is restricted by the cup base of the cup-shaped body 42, a sub area of its cylindrical cup wall and a front surface 30 of the nozzle needle 18.
The high pressure chamber 28 can be coupled to a high pressure circuit of the fluid (not shown). It is coupled to the high pressure circuit when the injection valve is in an installed state.
The nozzle spring 22 rests on the one hand against the cup base of the cup-shaped body 42 and rests on the other hand against the front surface 30 of the nozzle needle 18. It is prestressed accordingly and thus exerts a force, which acts in the closing direction, on the nozzle needle 18.
A first gap 26 is embodied between the nozzle needle 18 and the outer cup-shaped body 42. A second gap 32 is also embodied between the cup-shaped body 42 and the nozzle body 12. The transformer chamber 20 can be hydraulically coupled to the high pressure circuit by way of the second gap 32. The clearances of the gaps 26, 32 are selected such that rapid, brief movements of the actuator 38 can essentially be converted in a manner free of stroke loss. On the other hand, the clearances of the gaps 26, 32 are selected to be sufficiently large to ensure that fluid can flow between the high pressure circuit and the transformer chamber 20 on the one hand and between the transformer chamber 20 and the high pressure chamber 28 on the other hand.
When actuating the actuator 38, the nozzle needle 18 is firstly moved from its closed position into its open position with a continual axial extension of the actuator 38, in which open position said nozzle needle releases the fluid flow through the injection nozzle 24.
A longitudinal bore 44 is introduced into the nozzle needle 18, by which the nozzle needle 18 is penetrated from its side facing the cup base of the cup-shaped body 12 at least along a part of its axial extension. The longitudinal bore 44 opens into a radial bore 48, which is aligned radially outwards. The fluid, in particular the fuel, can thus pass through the longitudinal bore 44 and the radial bore 48 from the high pressure chamber 28. The fluid flows from the radial bore 48 through an intermediate space between the nozzle needle 18 and the nozzle body 12 to the first injection nozzle 24.
The nozzle cone 23 or sections thereof are shown enlarged in
The nozzle body 12 has a seal seat 50 on the wall 16 of the nozzle body recess 14. The nozzle needle 18 has a seat area 52 with a sealing surface 54, which is embodied in the manner of a cone-shaped shell. The sealing surface 54 of the nozzle needle 18 interacts with the seal seat 50 of the nozzle body 12 such that the nozzle needle 18 prevents fluid from flowing through the at least one injection nozzle 24 in a closing position and releases a fluid flow through the at least one injection nozzle 24 in an open position. Several injection nozzles 24 can also be embodied in the nozzle body 12, said injection nozzles possibly forming an injection hole circuit.
When the nozzle needle 18 is in a closed position, at least one contact line 56 is embodied between the seal seat 50 and the sealing surface 54 of the nozzle needle 18, which prevents a passage through the injection nozzle 24.
The nozzle needle 18 has a supporting area 60 in a radial position outside and axially distanced from the seat area 52 of the nozzle needle 18. This can support the nozzle needle 18 against the wall 16 of the nozzle body recess 14 in a closed position of the nozzle needle 18.
The nozzle needle 18 has at least one nozzle needle recess 62. When the supporting area 60 rests against the wall 16 of the nozzle body recess 14, the nozzle needle recess 62 ensures that fluid can flow between areas of the nozzle body recess 14, which axially face away from the seat area 52 in respect of the supporting area 60 and areas of the nozzle body recess 14, which axially face the seat area 52 in respect of the supporting area 60.
If the nozzle needle 18 is in a closed position, the supporting area 60 allows the force of the nozzle needle 18 to be distributed onto the seat area 52 and the supporting area 60. The surface pressure on the seal seat 50 can thus remain at a minimum. Wear of the nozzle body 12 as well as also of the nozzle needle 18 can thus also be prevented. It is easily possible to prevent the opening time of the nozzle needle 18 and thus the injection quantity from changing over the service life of the injection valve. Since the force of the nozzle needle 18 can be introduced into the nozzle body 12 across the supporting area 60 at a large radial distance from the central axis Z, the nozzle body 12 is only subject to minimal load in the area of the nozzle cone 23.
In the embodiment present here, the nozzle needle recess 62 is embodied as a groove in the nozzle needle 18. The nozzle needle recess 62 is, in this case, preferably produced by a machining method, for instance by means of milling.
In the embodiments shown in
The nozzle needle recesses 62 are preferably produced by means of laser cutting.
By dividing the force of the nozzle needle 18 acting upon the nozzle body 12 onto the seal seat 50 and the supporting area 60, the surface pressure on the seal seat 50 can be reduced. If the supporting area 60 presses against the wall 16 of the nozzle body recess 14 due to the effective force of the nozzle needle 18, the resulting elastic deformation in the nozzle body 12 leads to the nozzle needle 18 deflecting in the area of the seal seat 50 of the nozzle body 12. A good seal is thus achieved between the seat area 52 and the seal seat 50 of the nozzle body 12.
The nozzle needle recesses 62 prevent the fluid flow in the nozzle body recess 14 from being influenced. If a short seat length and a small seat diameter are needed, in addition to the claimed reduction in surface pressure, a displacement of the main direction of the force of the nozzle needle 18 onto the nozzle body 12 axially outwards from the area of the nozzle cone 23 can be achieved. Minimal wear of the seal seat 50 and thus a small quantity drift of the fluid can thus be achieved during the injection process. Overall, high hydraulic robustness of the injection valve can be achieved by embodying the supporting area 60 on the nozzle needle 18.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102008031271.1 | Jul 2008 | DE | national |
This application claims priority to DE Patent Application No. 10 2008 031 271.1 filed Jul. 2, 2008, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
