A nozzle assembly of a fuel injector includes a nozzle body in which a needle member is adapted to translate. The nozzle assembly is further provided with an electrical circuit so that an electrical signal enabling contact detection is measurable between the needle member and the nozzle body. The nozzle assembly also includes a piezoresistive device which continuously varies the electrical signal during the final closing displacements, or the initial opening displacements, of the needle, the variations of the signal being a function of a differential pressure.

A dual-fuel internal combustion engine with a device for regulating the internal combustion engine, with at least two piston-cylinders, a fuel injector assigned to the piston-cylinder units for a liquid fuel, which has an injector needle. Each piston-cylinder unit has a gas supply device for fuel, wherein the regulating device controls the fuel injector and the at least one gas supply device individually for metering of the quantity of the liquid or gaseous fuel supplied to each piston-cylinder unit. At least one needle sensor is connected to the regulating device and assigned to the respective piston-cylinder unit, which detects a characteristic signal of the needle position in the ballistic range, so that the fuel injector can be operated with individual controllability for each of the at least two piston-cylinder units for the regulation of the supplied fuel quantity in the ballistic range.

To provide a displacement detection device that detects a displacement of a measuring object housed in a casing without changing the design of the casing or while suppressing the design change of the casing. A displacement detection device includes a pair of magnets arranged outside an injector body housing a needle with a space between the magnets and forming a magnetic field in the space, a soft magnetic material connected to the needle inside the injector body and displaced in accordance with the displacement of the needle and disposed in the magnetic field formed by the pair of magnets, and a sensor disposed outside the injector body and in the magnetic field formed by the pair of magnets, and detecting a change in magnetic flux density in accordance with the displacement of the soft magnetic material.

A fuel injector includes an injection nozzle with a body, in which a needle moves between a closed position, in which a first end of the needle rests on a seat, and an open position, in which the first end of the needle is lifted from the seat. The fuel injector also includes a control chamber, a control valve, and an upper guide guiding the needle axially by the second end thereof. An electric link in contact with the second end of the needle bring the needle to a predetermined electric potential. The needle is mounted in the body so as to be able to move therein while being electrically isolated from the body, except for the region of the seat, so that the needle is in electric contact with the body only in the closed position.

A fuel supply device includes: a linear actuator; a reciprocating pump having a boosting piston driven by the linear actuator and configured to reciprocate in an axial direction, the reciprocating pump being configured to suck the fuel when the boosting piston moves in a first direction and configured to boost and eject the fuel when the boosting piston moves in a second direction; and a controller configured to control driving of the linear actuator so as to adjust an amount of the fuel ejected from a boosting cylinder per reciprocating time by adjusting a ratio of a fuel ejection time and a fuel suction time of the reciprocating pump without changing the reciprocating time of the boosting piston in accordance with a load of the internal combustion engine. The adjustment adjusts a stroke length of the boosting piston and a moving speed of the boosting piston in the second direction.

A system and method for determining a fluid consumption rate from a fluid tank is described. The fluid tank includes a fuel for an internal combustion engine and the internal combustion engine provides power to a powered system. The method includes determining instantaneous fluid consumption; determining an operating condition of the powered system, the powered system providing a load on the internal combustion engine; determining the load on the internal combustion engine and a state of the internal combustion engine; and calculating the fluid consumption rate based on the instantaneous fuel consumption, the load on the internal combustion engine, and the state of the internal combustion engine.

A fuel injector for an internal combustion engine includes an injector body in which there are positioned an actuator, a control valve, and a needle guide. The actuator actuates the control valve, the control valve controlling an injection needle sliding the needle guide between an open position in which injection is permitted and a closed position in which the injection of fuel is prevented. The injector additionally includes a first electrical connection extending from the needle guide to a metal that are internal to the injector, and a metal extension extending from the metal ring to a connector pin accessible from the outside of the injector, so that an electrical signal indicative of the position of the needle can be transmitted from the needle guide for the needle to the connector pin.

A fuel supply device includes: a linear actuator; a reciprocating pump having a boosting piston driven by the linear actuator, configured to axially reciprocate, and configured to alternately repeat suction of the fuel and ejection of the fuel more boosted than the fuel at a time of suction by reciprocation of the boosting piston; and a controller to control driving of the linear actuator. When reciprocation amplitude of the boosting piston is A (A>0) and a reciprocating cycle time is T, the controller controls the linear actuator so a maximum value of an absolute value of acceleration when the reciprocating pump sucks the fuel with an absolute value of speed of the boosting piston increasing is smaller than A.Math.(2/T).sup.2, and so a maximum value of the absolute value of the acceleration of the boosting piston when the reciprocating pump ejects the fuel is larger than A.Math.(2/T).sup.2.

A fuel supply device includes: a linear actuator; a reciprocating pump having a boosting piston driven by the linear actuator and configured to reciprocate in an axial direction, the reciprocating pump being configured to suck the fuel when the boosting piston moves in a first direction and configured to boost and eject the fuel when the boosting piston moves in a second direction; and a controller configured to control driving of the linear actuator so as to adjust an amount of the fuel ejected from a boosting cylinder per reciprocating time by adjusting a ratio of a fuel ejection time and a fuel suction time of the reciprocating pump without changing the reciprocating time of the boosting piston in accordance with a load of the internal combustion engine. The adjustment adjusts a stroke length of the boosting piston and a moving speed of the boosting piston in the second direction.

A fuel supply device includes: a linear actuator; a reciprocating pump having a boosting piston driven by the linear actuator, configured to axially reciprocate, and configured to alternately repeat suction of the fuel and ejection of the fuel more boosted than the fuel at a time of suction by reciprocation of the boosting piston; and a controller to control driving of the linear actuator. When reciprocation amplitude of the boosting piston is A (A>0) and a reciprocating cycle time is T, the controller controls the linear actuator so a maximum value of an absolute value of acceleration when the reciprocating pump sucks the fuel with an absolute value of speed of the boosting piston increasing is smaller than A.Math.(2/T).sup.2, and so a maximum value of the absolute value of the acceleration of the boosting piston when the reciprocating pump ejects the fuel is larger than A.Math.(2/T).sup.2.