Common rail directly actuated fuel injection valve with a pressurized hydraulic transmission device and a method of operating same
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
F02M-037/04
F02M-063/00
출원번호
US-0867303
(2004-06-14)
발명자
/ 주소
Mumford,David
Ancimer,Richard
Baker,Mike
Clapa,Damien
Wing,Richard
출원인 / 주소
Westport Research Inc.
대리인 / 주소
McAndrews, Held &
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
6인용 특허 :
23
초록▼
A common rail directly actuated fuel injection valve is disclosed with a hydraulic transmission device that is fluidly isolated from the fuel so that the hydraulic fluid can be different from the fuel. This arrangement is particularly suitable for valves that inject a gaseous fuel, but can also be
A common rail directly actuated fuel injection valve is disclosed with a hydraulic transmission device that is fluidly isolated from the fuel so that the hydraulic fluid can be different from the fuel. This arrangement is particularly suitable for valves that inject a gaseous fuel, but can also be beneficial for use with liquid fuels. According to the method, the hydraulic fluid is pressurizable by the fuel pressure to reduce differential pressures and leakage, in addition to assisting with operation of the hydraulic transmission device. The method further comprises detecting the position of the valve needle for more accurate control of rate of fuel injection during an injection event.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. A common rail directly actuated fuel injection valve comprises: (a) a valve body that defines a fuel inlet and a fuel cavity in communication with said fuel inlet; (b) a valve member movable within said valve body between a closed position at which said valve member is in sea
What is claimed is: 1. A common rail directly actuated fuel injection valve comprises: (a) a valve body that defines a fuel inlet and a fuel cavity in communication with said fuel inlet; (b) a valve member movable within said valve body between a closed position at which said valve member is in sealed contact with a valve seat to hold fuel within said fuel cavity, and at least one open position at which said valve member is spaced apart from said valve seat to allow said fuel to flow from said fuel cavity and out of said fuel injection valve; (c) an actuator comprising a drive member that is controllable to produce a mechanical strain in said drive member; (d) a reservoir disposed within said valve body and filled with a hydraulic fluid, wherein said reservoir is fluidly sealed from said fuel cavity; (e) a hydraulic transmission device associated with said actuator and said valve member, said hydraulic transmission device comprising a transmission cavity filled with said hydraulic fluid for transmitting said mechanical movement from said drive member to said valve member, wherein said transmission cavity is in restricted fluid communication with said reservoir whereby hydraulic fluid can flow between said reservoir and said transmission cavity when said valve member is in said closed position and no substantial hydraulic fluid flows between said reservoir and said transmission cavity when said valve member is in an open position; and (f) a pressure regulating device disposed within said valve body between said fuel cavity and said reservoir, whereby hydraulic fluid within said reservoir is pressurizable by fuel pressure within said fuel cavity. 2. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein said pressure regulating device comprises a displaceable member disposed between said fuel cavity and said reservoir. 3. The fuel injection valve of claim 2 wherein said displaceable member is a piston movable within a cylinder with respective opposite ends of said piston associated with said fuel cavity and said reservoir. 4. The fuel injection valve of claim 3 further comprising a seal between said piston and said cylinder. 5. The fuel injection valve of claim 4 wherein said seal comprises at least one O-ring seal. 6. The fuel injection valve of claim 3 wherein said opposite ends of said piston have equal surface areas. 7. The valve of claim 3 wherein said piston has an end associated with said fuel cavity that has a larger surface area than the opposite end that is associated with said reservoir. 8. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 further comprising a sensor associated with said valve member, said sensor operable to measure the position of said valve member and to send a signal to a controller and wherein said controller is operable to process said signal to determine the difference between the measured position of said valve member and the desired position and then correct a command signal to said actuator to move said valve member toward said desired position. 9. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein said hydraulic transmission device further comprises a plunger operatively associated with said drive member, wherein said mechanical strain caused by activation of said actuator results in a corresponding movement of said plunger, said plunger having an end that is disposed within said transmission cavity whereby movements of said plunger change the volume of hydraulic fluid that is displaced by said plunger, and wherein said valve member or a transmission member operatively associated with said valve member has an end disposed in said transmission cavity and said valve member or said transmission member is movable to change the volume of hydraulic fluid that is displaced by same, whereby the volume of fluid within said transmission cavity is held substantially constant while said actuator is activated. 10. The fuel injection valve of claim 9 wherein at least some of said restricted fluid communication between said reservoir and said transmission cavity is provided by one of (i) a gap between said plunger and valve member and (ii) a gap between said plunger and said transmission member. 11. The fuel injection valve of claim 9 wherein at least some of said restricted fluid communication between said reservoir and said transmission cavity is provided by a gap between said plunger and said valve body. 12. The fuel injection valve of claim 9 wherein at least some of said restricted fluid communication between said reservoir and said transmission cavity is provided by one of (i) a gap between said valve member and said valve body and (ii) a gap between said transmission member and said valve body. 13. The fuel injection valve of claim 12 further comprising at least one conduit disposed within said valve body fluidly connecting a surface associated with one of said gaps with said reservoir. 14. The fuel injection valve of claim 9 further comprising respective gaps between said valve body and said plunger and said valve member and respective seals to prevent leakage of said hydraulic fluid into said fuel cavity through said respective gaps. 15. The fuel injection valve of claim 9 wherein said plunger has an end face opposite and equal in area to an end face of said valve member or said transmission member and said two end faces are disposed in said transmission cavity and spaced apart from each other. 16. The fuel injection valve of claim 9 wherein said plunger has an area transverse to its direction of movement that defines the volume that is displacable by movement of said plunger which is greater than an area of said valve member or said transmission member that is transverse to its respective direction of movement, and that defines the volume that is displacable by movement of said valve member or said transmission member. 17. The fuel injection valve of claim 9 wherein a spring is disposed between said plunger and said valve member or said transmission member for urging said plunger towards said drive member and biasing said valve member in said closed position. 18. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein said hydraulic fluid is selected from the group consisting of motor oils, greases, and synthetic lubricants. 19. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein said hydraulic fluid has a bulk modulus that is substantially constant under normal operating conditions within said transmission cavity. 20. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein said hydraulic fluid has a viscosity that is substantially constant under normal operating conditions within said transmission cavity and said reservoir. 21. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein said fuel is a gaseous fuel. 22. The fuel injection valve of claim 21 wherein said gaseous fuel is selected from the group consisting of natural gas, methane, ethane, liquefied petroleum gas, lighter flammable hydrocarbon derivatives, hydrogen, and blends thereof. 23. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein said fuel is injectable from said fuel injection valve through a nozzle and directly into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. 24. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein said valve member is an inward opening valve needle whereby it moves in the direction of said actuator when moving from said closed position to an open position. 25. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein said drive member is a transducer that is selected from the group consisting of magnetostrictive, piezoelectric and electrostrictive transducers. 26. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein said hydraulic transmission device is a hydraulic displacement amplifier that amplifies said mechanical strain produced by the drive member to cause a movement of said valve member that is greater than said mechanical strain. 27. The fuel injection valve of claim 1 wherein fluid passages through which said restricted fluid flow is possible are sized to accommodate a flowrate that ensures said transmission cavity is always filled with hydraulic fluid. 28. A common rail directly actuated fuel injection valve comprises: (a) a valve body that defines a fuel inlet, a fuel cavity in communication with said fuel inlet, and a reservoir filled with a hydraulic fluid and wherein said reservoir is fluidly sealed from said fuel cavity; (b) a nozzle associated with one end of said valve body; (c) a valve member movable within said valve body between a closed position at which said valve member is in contact with a valve seat to prevent fuel from flowing from said fuel cavity through said nozzle, and at least one open position at which said valve member is spaced apart from said valve seat to allow said fuel to flow through said nozzle; (d) an actuator comprising a drive member that is controllable to produce a mechanical strain in said drive member; (e) a hydraulic displacement amplifier comprising: (1) a plunger operatively associated with said drive member and extendable into an amplification chamber that is filled with a hydraulic fluid; and (2) a movable transmission member associated with said valve member and extendable into said amplification chamber, wherein said transmission member has an area transverse to its respective direction of movement that is smaller than an area of said plunger that is transverse to its respective direction of movement and wherein said amplification chamber is in restricted fluid communication with said reservoir whereby hydraulic fluid is flowable between said reservoir and said amplification chamber when said valve member is in said closed position, and because of the relative shortness of the duration of an injection event, no substantial amount of hydraulic fluid is flowable between said reservoir and said amplification chamber when said valve member is in an open position; and (f) a pressure regulating device disposed within said valve body between said fuel cavity and said reservoir, whereby hydraulic fluid within said reservoir is pressurizable by fuel pressure within said fuel cavity. 29. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein said pressure regulating device comprises a displaceable member disposed between said fuel cavity and said reservoir. 30. The fuel injection valve of claim 29 wherein said displaceable member is a piston movable within a cylinder with respective opposite ends of said piston associated with said fuel cavity and said reservoir. 31. The fuel injection valve of claim 30 further comprising a seal between said piston and said cylinder. 32. The fuel injection valve of claim 31 wherein said seal comprises at least one O-ring seal. 33. The fuel injection valve of claim 30 wherein said opposite ends of said piston have equal surface areas. 34. The valve of claim 30 wherein said piston has an end associated with said fuel cavity that has a larger surface area than the opposite end that is associated with said reservoir. 35. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 further comprising a sensor associated with said valve member, said sensor operable to measure the position of said valve member and to send a signal to a controller and wherein said controller is operable to process said signal to determine the difference between the measured position of said valve member and the desired position and then correct a command signal to said actuator to move said valve member toward said desired position. 36. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein at least some of said restricted fluid communication between said reservoir and said amplification chamber is provided by a gap between said plunger and said valve member or said transmission member. 37. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein at least some of said restricted fluid communication between said reservoir and said amplification chamber is provided by a gap between said plunger and said valve body. 38. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein at least some of said restricted fluid communication between said reservoir and said amplification chamber is provided by a gap between said valve body and said valve member or said transmission member. 39. The fuel injection valve of one of claims 36 through 38 further comprising at least one conduit disposed within said valve body fluidly connecting a surface associated with one of said gaps with said reservoir. 40. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 further comprising respective gaps between said valve body and said plunger and said valve member and respective seals to prevent leakage of said hydraulic fluid into said fuel cavity through said respective gaps. 41. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein a spring is disposed between said plunger and said transmission member for urging said plunger towards said drive member and biasing said valve member in said closed position. 42. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein said hydraulic fluid is selected from the group consisting of motor oils, greases, and synthetic lubricants. 43. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein said hydraulic fluid has a bulk modulus that is substantially constant under normal operating conditions within said amplification chamber. 44. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein said hydraulic fluid has a viscosity that is substantially constant under normal operating conditions within said amplification chamber and said reservoir. 45. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein said fuel is a gaseous fuel. 46. The fuel injection valve of claim 45 wherein said gaseous fuel is selected from the group consisting of natural gas, methane, ethane, liquefied petroleum gas, lighter flammable hydrocarbon derivatives, hydrogen, and blends thereof. 47. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein said drive member is a transducer that is selected from the group consisting of magnetostrictive, piezoelectric and electrostrictive transducers. 48. The fuel injection valve of claim 28 wherein fluid passages through which said restricted fluid flow is possible are sized to accommodate a flowrate that ensures said amplification chamber is always filled with hydraulic fluid. 49. A common rail directly actuated fuel injection valve comprises: (a) a valve body that defines a fuel inlet, a fuel cavity in communication with said fuel inlet; (b) a nozzle associated with one end of said valve body; (c) a valve member movable within said valve body between a closed position at which said valve member is in contact with a valve seat to prevent fuel from flowing from said fuel cavity through said nozzle, and at least one open position at which said valve member is spaced apart from said valve seat to allow said fuel to flow through said nozzle; (d) an actuator comprising a drive member that is controllable to produce a mechanical strain in said drive member; (e) a reservoir disposed within said valve body and filled with a hydraulic fluid, wherein said reservoir is fluidly sealed from said fuel cavity; (f) a hydraulic displacement amplifier disposed between said valve member and said actuator, said hydraulic displacement amplifier comprising an amplification chamber that is in restricted fluid communication with said reservoir; and (g) a pressure regulating device whereby fuel pressure within said fuel cavity can be employed to pressurize hydraulic fluid disposed within said reservoir. 50. The fuel injection valve of claim 49 wherein said pressure regulating device comprises a displaceable member disposed between said fuel cavity and said reservoir. 51. The fuel injection valve of claim 50 wherein said displaceable member is a piston movable within a cylinder with respective opposite ends of said piston associated with said fuel cavity and said reservoir. 52. The fuel injection valve of claim 51 further comprising a seal between said piston and said cylinder. 53. The fuel injection valve of claim 52 wherein said seal comprises at least one O-ring seal. 54. The fuel injection valve of claim 51 wherein said opposite ends of said piston have equal surface areas. 55. The valve of claim 51 wherein said piston has an end associated with said fuel cavity that has a larger surface area than the opposite end that is associated with said reservoir. 56. The fuel injection valve of claim 49 further comprising a sensor associated with said valve member, said sensor operable to measure the position of said valve member and to send a signal to a controller and wherein said controller is operable to process said signal to determine the difference between the measured position of said valve member and the desired position and then correct a command signal to said actuator to move said valve member toward said desired position. 57. The fuel injection valve of claim 49 wherein said hydraulic displacement amplifier comprises at least two displacement members that are extendable into said amplifier chamber to occupy and/or restore volume therein and at least some of said restricted fluid communication between said reservoir and said amplification chamber is provided by gaps between said displacement members and said valve body. 58. The fuel injection valve of claim 49 further comprising a spring operatively associated with said drive member and said valve member for engaging said hydraulic displacement amplifier with said drive member and biasing said valve member in said closed position. 59. The fuel injection valve of claim 49 wherein said hydraulic fluid is selected from the group consisting of motor oils, greases, and synthetic lubricants. 60. The fuel injection valve of claim 49 wherein said hydraulic fluid has a bulk modulus that is substantially constant under normal operating conditions within said amplification chamber. 61. The fuel injection valve of claim 49 wherein said hydraulic fluid has a viscosity that is substantially constant under normal operating conditions within said amplification chamber and said reservoir. 62. The fuel injection valve of claim 49 wherein said fuel is a gaseous fuel. 63. The fuel injection valve of claim 62 wherein said gaseous fuel is selected from the group consisting of natural gas, methane, ethane, liquefied petroleum gas, lighter flammable hydrocarbon derivatives, hydrogen, and blends thereof. 64. The fuel injection valve of claim 49 wherein said drive member is a transducer that is selected from the group consisting of magnetostrictive, piezoelectric and electrostrictive transducers. 65. A method of injecting fuel into an engine, said method comprising: supplying a fuel at injection pressure to a fuel cavity within a valve body; releasing fuel from said fuel cavity by moving a valve member to an open position by activating a strain-type actuator to produce a mechanical strain; transmitting a mechanical movement caused by said mechanical strain to a valve member through a hydraulic fluid that is fluidly isolated from said fuel; and using fuel pressure within said fuel cavity to pressurize said hydraulic fluid. 66. The method of claim 65 wherein said fuel that is supplied to said fuel cavity is in a gaseous phase. 67. The method of claim 65 wherein said fuel is selected from the group consisting of natural gas, methane, ethane, liquefied petroleum gas, lighter flammable hydrocarbon derivatives, hydrogen, and blends thereof. 68. The method of claim 65 further comprising amplifying said mechanical movement that is caused by said mechanical strain. 69. The method of claim 65 further comprising measuring the position of said valve member when said valve member is in said open position and sending a signal representative of the measured position to a controller and comparing said measured position to a desired position and generating an error signal to correct for the variance therebetween, and processing the error signal to generate a corrected commanded signal, which is sent to said actuator. 70. The method of claim 69 further comprising converting said desired needle position into an open loop command signal with a local map or model, and correcting said open loop command signal with a closed loop command signal that is generated from said error signal. 71. The method of claim 70 further comprising adapting said local map responsive to said error signal. 72. A method of injecting fuel into an engine, said method comprising: supplying a fuel at injection pressure to a fuel cavity within a valve body; releasing fuel from said fuel cavity by moving a valve member to an open position by activating a strain-type actuator to produce a mechanical strain; transmitting a mechanical movement caused by said mechanical strain to said valve member through a transmission device; measuring a position of said valve member when said valve member is in said open position to determine a measured position and sending a signal representative of said measured position to a controller; and comparing said measured position to a desired position and generating an error signal that is used by said controller to correct a commanded signal that said controller sends to said actuator. 73. The method of claim 72 wherein said fuel is selected from the group consisting of natural gas, methane, ethane, liquefied petroleum gas, lighter flammable hydrocarbon derivatives, hydrogen, and blends thereof. 74. The method of claim 72 further comprising amplifying said mechanical movement with said transmission device. 75. The method of claim 72 further comprising converting said desired needle position into an open loop command signal with a local map or model, and correcting said open loop command signal with a closed loop command signal that is generated from said error signal. 76. The method of claim 75 further comprising adapting said local map responsive to said error signal. 77. The method of claim 72 wherein said error signal that is employed to correct said commanded signal, is generated using a needle position measurement taken earlier in the same injection event. 78. The method of claim 72 wherein said error signal is compiled with previously calculated error signals to produce an average value that is used to correct said commanded signal.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (23)
Martin Paul Hardy GB; Michael Peter Cooke GB; Andrew John Hargreaves GB, Actuator arrangement.
Lorraine, Jack; Kappel, Andreas; Ulivieri, Enrico; Gottlieb, Bernhard; Fischer, Bernhard, Compensator assembly having a flexible diaphragm for a fuel injector and method.
Schwerdt Paul (Freudenstadt DEX) Kirschenhofer Karl (Ulm DEX), Piezoelectric control valve for controlling fuel injection valve in internal-combustion engines.
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