It is believed that fuel pressure regulators relieve over-pressures in the fuel supply line extending between the fuel tank and the internal combustion engine. This fuel pressure regulation maintains the fuel pressure supplied to the fuel injectors at or below a prescribed value.
It is believed that over-pressures in the fuel supply line are caused by at least two sources. The first source includes fuel pressure pulses generated by the fuel pump sending pressurized fuel from the fuel tank to the fuel injectors. The second source includes unintended restrictions in the fuel supply line such as crimps or debris blockages.
There is provided a fuel pressure regulator for use with an internal combustion engine, the fuel pressure regulator includes a housing, a valve assembly in the housing and an elastic diaphragm connecting the valve assembly to the housing. The housing includes an inlet, an outlet and a longitudinal axis and has a total length measured along the longitudinal axis of approximately 30-40 mm. The valve assembly is intermediate the inlet and the outlet and selectively opens fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet when a fuel pressure at the inlet is at least equal to 500 kPa.
There is also provided a fuel pressure regulator for use with an internal combustion engine, the fuel pressure regulator includes a housing, a valve assembly in the housing, an elastic diaphragm connecting the valve assembly to the housing, a stop on one of the housing and the support and a spring between the housing and the valve assembly. The housing includes an inlet, an outlet and a longitudinal axis. The valve assembly is intermediate the inlet and the outlet and selectively opens fluid communication between the inlet to the outlet when a fuel pressure at the inlet is at least equal to an over-pressure amount. The valve assembly is displaceable along the longitudinal axis by an opening distance when a fuel pressure at least equal the over-pressure amount acts on the diaphragm so that the diaphragm does not exceed its yield strength. The diaphragm is in fluid communication with the inlet and elastically displaceable along the longitudinal axis up to a maximum distance. The stop is spaced from the other of the housing and the support along the longitudinal axis by a traveling distance when the valve assembly closes the fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet. The traveling distance is at most equal to the maximum distance and substantially greater than the opening distance. The spring biases the valve assembly to close the fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet when the fuel pressure at the inlet is less than the over-pressure amount.
There is yet also provided a method of assembling a fuel pressure regulator for use with an internal combustion engine, the method includes providing a housing, a valve seat intermediate the inlet and the outlet, a support movable inside the housing, a closure member connected to the support, a diaphragm attached to the support and to the housing, a stop on one of the housing and the support, and a spring adjacent the stop. The housing includes an inlet and an outlet. The valve seat fluidly connects the inlet to the outlet. The closure member is matingly engageable with the valve seat to shut off the fluid connection between the inlet and the outlet provided by the valve seat. The diaphragm is resiliently displaceable up to a maximum distance. The spring biases the valve into mating engagement with the valve seat and permitting the closure member to separate from the valve seat by an opening distance to fluidly connect the inlet and the outlet. The stop is engageable with the other of the housing and the support. Each of the housing, the outlet, the spring and the stop is provided with a length tolerance. The method also includes spacing the stop from the housing by a traveling distance that is approximately equal to the sum of the length tolerances of the housing, the outlet, the compression spring and the stop.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the invention.
A fuel pressure regulator 10 includes a housing 12 having a plurality of fuel inlets 14, a fuel outlet 16, and a reference pressure inlet 18. The housing 12 contains a diaphragm assembly 20 biased by a spring 22 into sealing engagement with a valve seat 24 to block the flow of fuel from the fuel inlets 14 to the fuel outlet 16. Fuel entering the fuel inlets 14 applies a pressure to diaphragm assembly 20. As explained in detail below, if the fuel pressure exceeds a predetermined value, the diaphragm assembly 20 lifts off the valve seat 24, against the bias of the spring 22, to open the fuel outlet 16.
The spring 22 determines the over-pressure value at which of the fuel pressure regulator 10 operates. This permits a modular design for the regulator 10 in which the spring 22 is the only part of the fuel pressure regulator 10 that needs to be altered to meet different operating parameters. In the preferred embodiment, the spring rates in the range of 6.9-15 N/m can be interchanged during manufacture of a family of fuel pressure regulators 10 employing a diaphragm having an operating area of approximately 0.30-0.50 in2, a thickness of approximately 0.23-0.45 mm and a yield strength of at least approximately 150 psi. This preferred embodiment approach provides a family of fuel pressure regulators 10 having different pressure control values. The diaphragm 34 can be made from rubber or other elastic material sufficient to withstand the chemical effects of the fuel and provide the requisite elasticity, such as nitrile, florocarbon rubber and florosilicon rubber. This reduces manufacturing inventory, assembly complexity and cost.
The housing includes a can housing member 26 connected to a lower housing member 28. The can housing member 26 includes a radial flange 30 and the lower housing member 28 includes a crimping flange 32. The total length Dh (
The diaphragm assembly 20 includes a flexible annular diaphragm 34 having an outer portion crimped between the radial flange 30 and the crimping flange 32 to secure the diaphragm assembly 20 to the housing 12. The inner portion of the diaphragm 34 is crimped between a radial flange 36 of a support member 38 and a retainer plate 40 to secure the diaphragm 34 to the support member 38. The diaphragm assembly 20 divides the housing 12 into an upper chamber 42 and a lower chamber 44. The volume of the lower chamber 44 is approximately 1100 mm3.
The support member 38 includes a recess 46 that receives a valve closing member 48. The valve closing member 48 has a spherical outer surface 50 that permits the valve closing member 48 to rotate within the recess 46 and a flat face 52 that mates with the valve seat 24 to seal off the fuel passage 53 of the fuel outlet 16. The support member 38 includes a bore 54 centered on the recess 46. The bore 54 contains a spring 56 that biasingly engages the spherical outer surface 50 of the valve closing member 48. The interaction of the spherical outer surface 50 of the ball member 48 with the recess 46 and the spring 56 ensures that the flat face 52 of the valve closing member 48 is properly aligned with the valve seat 24 to fluidly seal the fuel passage 53.
Fuel in the supply path (not shown) enters the regulator 10 through the fuel inlet 14 and applies a pressure against the diaphragm 34. When this applied pressure exceeds a predetermined value, called over-pressure, the diaphragm 34 resiliently deflects toward the can housing member 26 to raise valve closing member 48 off the valve seat 24 as shown in FIG. 2. Fuel can then escape the supply path through the fuel passage 53, thus lowering the fuel pressure in the supply path into the requisite operating pressure range. Thus, the pressure regulator 10 prevents over-pressurized fuel from reaching the outlet of the supply path.
It is believed that, generally, the yield strength of the diaphragm 34 of known pressure regulators is exceeded only under rare over-pressure conditions. This is because the over-pressure in all but these rare over-pressures is sufficiently reduced below the yield strength of the diaphragm when the valve closing member 48 opens the fuel passage 53 to permit excess fuel to escape the supply path.
It is believed that the trend in fuel injection systems is an increased operating fuel pressure. It is believed that these operating pressures are in excess of 500 kPa with over-pressures in excess of approximately 800 kPa. This trend creates a conflict with conventional pressure regulators, in which it is believed that the diaphragm material cannot be substantially altered in material or thickness to resist material failure under these higher operating pressures and the possible associated over-pressures while simultaneously providing the over-pressure regulation of the fuel in the supply path. That is, it is not possible to accommodate these higher pressures experienced by the diaphragm by simply increasing the thickness of the diaphragm or using a stronger material. Such countermeasures have adverse effects on the proper performance of the diaphragm when the extreme conditions do not exist.
It is believed that the permissible distance that the diaphragm 34 can be displaced exceeds the resilient elongation of the diaphragm. It is also believed that it is not permissible to increase the crimp force of the crimping flange 32 to secure the diaphragm 34 to the housing 12 without causing a material failure of the diaphragm 34 at the crimp. As a result, high over-pressure could cause the diaphragm 34 to exceed its yield strength and tear away from the crimping flange 32. The over-pressure at which the diaphragm fails is called the burst pressure.
In order to combat this failure mode, a stop 58 extends from the support member 38 toward the roof 60 of the can housing member 26. The stop 58 is spaced from the roof 60 by an traveling distance Dt that is less than the elongation of the diaphragm 34 that would cause the diaphragm 34 to exceed its yield strength. When the diaphragm 34 experiences an extreme over-pressure, the diaphragm 34 will deflect a distance equal to the traveling distance Dt where the stop 58 engages the roof 60. This engagement prevents further deflection of the diaphragm 34 and reduces the risk of diaphragm material failure.
In the preferred embodiment, the stop 58 is integral with the support member 38. This integral assembly can be either a homogenous one as illustrated in
In the preferred embodiment, the stop 58 extends inside of the coils of the spring 22. This provides for a compact arrangement that also prevents uneven loading on the spring 22 or the diaphragm assembly 20.
As shown in
While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to certain embodiments, numerous modifications, alterations and changes to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the sphere and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but that it has the full scope defined by the language of the following claims, and equivalents thereof.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4205637 | Ito et al. | Jun 1980 | A |
4237924 | Benjamin et al. | Dec 1980 | A |
4635537 | Field | Jan 1987 | A |
4742845 | Capoccia et al. | May 1988 | A |
4756289 | Rock et al. | Jul 1988 | A |
4909278 | Ray | Mar 1990 | A |
5065725 | Spoetter | Nov 1991 | A |
5275203 | Robinson | Jan 1994 | A |
5609138 | Mutschler | Mar 1997 | A |
5647330 | Sawert et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
5673670 | Powell et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
5794597 | Schwegler | Aug 1998 | A |
6298828 | Concialdi | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6422265 | Beyer et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20040000293 A1 | Jan 2004 | US |