IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0975269
(2004-10-28)
|
등록번호 |
US-7357124
(2008-04-15)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Elia,Mimmo
- Linna,Jan Roger
- Mello,John Paul
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Roberts Mlotkowski & Hobbes
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
7 인용 특허 :
69 |
초록
▼
A fuel injector for vaporizing a liquid fuel for use in an internal combustion engine. The fuel injector includes a plurality of capillary flow passages, each of the plurality of capillary flow passages having an inlet end and an outlet end; a heat source arranged along each of the plurality of capi
A fuel injector for vaporizing a liquid fuel for use in an internal combustion engine. The fuel injector includes a plurality of capillary flow passages, each of the plurality of capillary flow passages having an inlet end and an outlet end; a heat source arranged along each of the plurality of capillary flow passages, the heat source operable to heat the liquid fuel in each of the plurality of capillary flow passages to a level sufficient to change at least a portion thereof from the liquid state to a vapor state and deliver a stream of substantially vaporized fuel from each outlet end of the plurality of capillary flow passages; and a valve for metering substantially vaporized fuel to the internal combustion engine, the valve located proximate to each outlet end of the plurality of capillary flow passages. The fuel injector is effective in reducing cold-start and warm-up emissions of an internal combustion engine.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. A fuel injector for vaporizing and metering a liquid fuel to an internal combustion engine, comprising: (a) a plurality of capillary flow passages, each of said plurality of capillary flow passages having an inlet end and an outlet end; (b) a heat source arranged along each o
What is claimed is: 1. A fuel injector for vaporizing and metering a liquid fuel to an internal combustion engine, comprising: (a) a plurality of capillary flow passages, each of said plurality of capillary flow passages having an inlet end and an outlet end; (b) a heat source arranged along each of said plurality of capillary flow passages, said heat source operable to heat the liquid fuel in each of said plurality of capillary flow passages to a level sufficient to change at least a portion thereof from the liquid state to a vapor state and deliver a stream of substantially vaporized fuel from each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary flow passages; and (c) a valve for metering substantially vaporized fuel to the internal combustion engine, said valve located proximate to each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary flow passages. 2. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein said valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is a low-mass plate valve assembly having a low wetted area operated by a solenoid. 3. The fuel injector of claim 2, wherein said low-mass plate valve assembly comprises a metering plate and an orifice plate. 4. The fuel injector of claim 3, wherein said metering plate includes a plurality of metering apertures to permit fuel to pass from each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary passages. 5. The fuel injector of claim 4, wherein said orifice plate includes an inner sealing ring and an outer landing ring to inhibit fuel flow from each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary passages when said orifice plate is in sealing engagement with said metering plate. 6. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein said valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is a low-mass ball valve assembly operated by a solenoid. 7. The fuel injector of claim 6, wherein said low-mass ball valve assembly comprises a ball connected to said solenoid and a conical sealing surface. 8. The fuel injector of claim 7, wherein said low-mass ball valve assembly further comprises a spring dimensioned to provide a spring force operable to push said ball against said conical section and block fluid flow from the injector. 9. The fuel injector of claim 8, further comprising an exit orifice, wherein movement of said solenoid caused by applying electricity to said solenoid causes said ball to be drawn away from said conical sealing surface, allowing fuel to flow through said exit orifice. 10. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of capillary flow passages are formed within a tube selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and Inconel. 11. The fuel injector of claim 10, wherein said plurality of capillary flow passages have an internal diameter from about 0.020 to about 0.030 inches and a length of from about 1 to about 3 inches. 12. The fuel injector of claim 1, further comprising: (d) means for cleaning deposits formed during operation of the injector. 13. The fuel injector of claim 10, wherein said means for cleaning deposits employs a solvent comprising liquid fuel from the liquid fuel source and wherein the heat source is phased-out during cleaning of said capillary flow passage. 14. The fuel injector of claim 1, further comprising a nozzle to atomize a portion of the liquid fuel. 15. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein said heat source includes a resistance heater. 16. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein said valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is positioned downstream of each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary flow passages. 17. The fuel injector of claim 1, whereby the stream of substantially vaporized fuel from each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary flow passages is introduced upstream of said valve for metering fuel. 18. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein the internal combustion engine is an alcohol-fueled engine. 19. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein the internal combustion engine is a gasoline direct-injection engine. 20. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein the internal combustion engine is part of a hybrid-electric engine. 21. A fuel system for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising (a) a plurality of fuel injectors, each injector including (i) a plurality of capillary flow passages, each of said plurality of capillary flow passages having an inlet end and an outlet end; (ii) a heat source arranged along each of said plurality of capillary flow passages, said heat source operable to heat the liquid fuel in each of said plurality of capillary flow passages to a level sufficient to change at least a portion thereof from the liquid state to a vapor state and deliver a stream of substantially vaporized fuel from each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary flow passages; and (iii) a valve for metering substantially vaporized fuel to the internal combustion engine, said valve located proximate to each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary flow passages; (b) a liquid fuel supply system in fluid communication with said plurality of fuel injectors; and (c) a controller to control the supply of fuel to said plurality of fuel injectors. 22. The fuel system of claim 21, wherein said valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is a low-mass plate valve assembly having a low welted area operated by a solenoid. 23. The fuel system of claim 22, wherein said low-mass plate valve assembly comprises a metering plate and an orifice plate. 24. The fuel system of claim 23, wherein said metering plate includes a plurality of metering apertures to permit fuel to pass from each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary passages. 25. The fuel system of claim 24, wherein said orifice plate includes an inner sealing ring and an outer landing ring to inhibit fuel flow from each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary passages when said orifice plate is in sealing engagement with said metering plate. 26. The fuel system of claim 21, wherein said valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is a low-mass ball valve assembly operated by a solenoid. 27. The fuel system of claim 26, wherein said low-mass ball valve assembly comprises a ball connected to said solenoid and a conical sealing surface. 28. The fuel system of claim 27, wherein said low-mass ball valve assembly further comprises a spring dimensioned to provide a spring force operable to push said ball against said conical section and block fluid flow from the injector. 29. The fuel system of claim 28, further comprising an exit orifice, wherein movement of said solenoid caused by applying electricity to said solenoid causes said ball to be drawn away from said conical sealing surface, allowing fuel to flow through said exit orifice. 30. The fuel system of claim 21, wherein each of said plurality of capillary flow passages are formed within a tube selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and Inconel. 31. The fuel system of claim 30, wherein each of said plurality of capillary flow passages has an internal diameter of from about 0.020 to about 0.030 inches and a length of from about 1 to about 3 inches. 32. The fuel system of claim 21, further comprising: (d) means for cleaning deposits formed during operation of the injector. 33. The fuel system of claim 30, wherein said means for cleaning deposits employs a solvent comprising liquid fuel from the liquid fuel source and wherein the heat source is phased-out during cleaning of said capillary flow passage. 34. The fuel system of claim 21, further comprising a nozzle to atomize a portion of the liquid fuel. 35. The fuel system of claim 21, wherein said heat source includes a resistance heater. 36. The fuel system of claim 21, wherein said valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is positioned downstream of each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary flow passages. 37. The fuel system of claim 21, whereby the stream of substantially vaporized fuel from each said outlet end of said plurality of capillary flow passages is introduced upstream of said valve for metering fuel. 38. The fuel system of claim 21, wherein the internal combustion engine is an alcohol-fueled engine. 39. The fuel system of claim 21, wherein the internal combustion engine is a gasoline direct-injection engine. 40. The fuel system of claim 21, wherein the internal combustion engine is part of a hybrid-electric engine. 41. A method of delivering fuel to an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of: (a) supplying liquid fuel to a plurality of capillary flow passages of a fuel injector; (b) causing a stream of substantially vaporized fuel to pass through each outlet of the plurality of capillary flow passages by heating the liquid fuel in the plurality of capillary flow passages; and (c) metering the substantially vaporized fuel to a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine through a valve located proximate to each outlet of the plurality of capillary flow passages. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein said delivery of substantially vaporized fuel to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine is limited to start-up and warm-up of the internal combustion engine. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein a stream of substantially vaporized fuel is delivered to each combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. 44. The method of claim 41, wherein a stream of substantially vaporized fuel is delivered to each combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. 45. The method of claim 42, further comprising delivering liquid fuel to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine when the internal combustion engine is at a fully warmed condition. 46. The method of claim 41, further comprising cleaning periodically the plurality of capillary flow passages. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein said periodic cleaning comprises (i) phasing-out said heating of the plurality of capillary flow passages, (ii) supplying a solvent to the plurality of capillary flow passages, whereby deposits formed in the plurality of capillary flow passages are substantially removed. 48. The method of claim 47, wherein the solvent includes liquid fuel from the liquid fuel source. 49. The method of claim 41, wherein the stream of substantially vaporized fuel mixes with air and forms an aerosol in the combustion chamber prior to start up of combustion, the method including forming the aerosol with a particle size distribution, a fraction of which is 25 μm or less prior to igniting the substantially vaporized fuel to initiate combustion. 50. The method of claim 41, wherein in step (c) the valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is a low-mass plate valve assembly having a low wetted area operated by a solenoid. 51. The method of claim 50, wherein the low-mass plate valve assembly includes a metering plate and an orifice plate. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the metering plate includes a plurality of metering apertures to permit fuel to pass from each outlet of the plurality of capillary passages. 53. The method of claim 52, wherein the orifice plate includes an inner sealing ring and an outer landing ring to inhibit fuel flow from each outlet of the plurality of capillary passages when the orifice plate is in sealing engagement with the metering plate. 54. The method of claim 41, wherein in step (c) the valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is a low-mass ball valve assembly operated by a solenoid. 55. The method of claim 54, wherein the low-mass ball valve assembly comprises a ball connected to the solenoid and a conical sealing surface. 56. The method of claim 55, wherein the low-mass ball valve assembly further comprises a spring dimensioned to provide a spring force operable to push the ball against the conical section and block fluid flow from the injector. 57. The method of claim 56, wherein movement of the solenoid caused by applying electricity to the solenoid causes the ball to be drawn away from the conical sealing surface, allowing fuel to flow through an exit orifice. 58. The method of claim 41, wherein each of the plurality of capillary flow passages are formed within a tube selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and Inconel. 59. The method of claim 58, wherein each of the plurality of capillary flow passages have an internal diameter of from about 0.020 to about 0.030 inches and a length of from about 1 to about 3 inches. 60. The method of claim 41, wherein in step (b) said heating is achieved through the use of a resistance heater. 61. The method of claim 41, wherein in step (c) the valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is positioned downstream of each outlet of the plurality of capillary flow passages. 62. The method of claim 41, whereby the stream of substantially vaporized fuel from each outlet of the plurality of capillary flow passages is introduced upstream of the valve for metering fuel. 63. The method of claim 41, wherein the internal combustion engine is an alcohol-fueled engine. 64. The method of claim 41, wherein the internal combustion engine is a gasoline direct-injection engine. 65. The method of claim 41, wherein the internal combustion engine is part of a hybrid-electric engine. 66. A method of delivering vaporized fuel to an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of: (a) supplying liquid fuel to a plurality of capillary flow passages of a fuel injector; (b) heating the liquid fuel within the plurality of capillary flow passages of the fuel injector and causing vaporized fuel to pass through each outlet of the plurality of capillary flow passages; and (c) metering the vaporized fuel to a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine through a valve located downstream of each outlet of the plurality of capillary flow passages. 67. The method of claim 66, wherein said step of metering vaporized fuel to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine is limited to start-up and warm-up of the internal combustion engine. 68. The method of claim 67, wherein vaporized fuel is metered to each combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. 69. The method of claim 66, wherein vaporized fuel is metered to each combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. 70. The method of claim 67, further comprising delivering liquid fuel to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine when the internal combustion engine is at a fully warmed condition. 71. The method of claim 66, further comprising cleaning periodically the plurality of capillary flow passages. 72. The method of claim 71, wherein said periodic cleaning comprises (i) phasing-out said heating of the plurality of capillary flow passages, (ii) supplying a solvent to the plurality of capillary flow passages, whereby deposits formed in the plurality of capillary flow passages are substantially removed. 73. The method of claim 72, wherein the solvent includes liquid fuel from the liquid fuel source. 74. The method of claim 66, wherein the stream of vaporized fuel mixes with air and forms an aerosol in the combustion chamber prior to start up of combustion, the method including forming the aerosol with a particle size distribution, a fraction of which is 25 μm or less prior to igniting the vaporized fuel to initiate combustion. 75. The method of claim 66, wherein in step (c) the valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is a low-mass plate valve assembly having a low wetted area operated by a solenoid. 76. The method of claim 75, wherein the low-mass plate valve assembly includes a metering plate and an orifice plate. 77. The method of claim 76, wherein the metering plate includes a plurality of metering apertures to permit fuel to pass from each outlet of the plurality of capillary passages. 78. The method of claim 77, wherein the orifice plate includes an inner sealing ring and an outer landing ring to inhibit fuel flow from each outlet of the plurality of capillary passages when the orifice plate is in sealing engagement with the metering plate. 79. The method of claim 66, wherein in step (c) the valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine is a low-mass ball valve assembly operated by a solenoid. 80. The method of claim 79, wherein the low-mass ball valve assembly comprises a ball connected to the solenoid and a conical sealing surface. 81. The method of claim 80, wherein the low-mass ball valve assembly further comprises a spring dimensioned to provide a spring force operable to push the ball against the conical section and block fluid flow from the injector. 82. The method of claim 81, wherein movement of the solenoid caused by applying electricity to the solenoid causes the ball to be drawn away from the conical sealing surface, allowing fuel to flow through an exit orifice. 83. The method of claim 66, wherein each of the plurality of capillary flow passages are formed within a tube selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and Inconel. 84. The method of claim 83, wherein each of the plurality of capillary flow passages has an internal diameter of from about 0.020 to about 0.030 inches. 85. The method of claim 83, wherein each of the plurality of capillary flow passages has a length of from about 1 to about 3 inches. 86. The method of claim 66, wherein in step (b) said heating is achieved through the use of a resistance heater. 87. The method of claim 66, whereby the vaporized fuel from each outlet of the plurality of capillary flow passages is introduced upstream of the valve for metering fuel. 88. The method of claim 66, wherein the internal combustion engine is an alcohol-fueled engine. 89. The method of claim 66, wherein the internal combustion engine is a gasoline direct-injection engine. 90. The method of claim 66, wherein the internal combustion engine is part of a hybrid-electric engine.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.