The present invention relates to an injector for injecting fuel, comprising an injector housing, a movable nozzle needle which is arranged in the injector housing and has a nozzle needle tip, a nozzle needle seat for receiving the nozzle needle tip, and a mechanical switch which upon contact of the nozzle needle tip with the nozzle needle seat assumes a closed state and upon interruption of the contact assumes an open state, wherein the injector is provided with an input line and an output line for actuating a movement of the nozzle needle, and the switch includes a first terminal and a second terminal. The injector is characterized in that the first terminal of the switch is connected to the input line and the second terminal of the switch is connected to the injector housing.

An injection control device includes an injector and a detection unit. The injector includes: an injection hole; a movable part; a seat portion; a valve housing; a magnetic field application unit; and a detection sensor. The movable part opens and closes the injection hole by reciprocal movement. The seat portion when seated by the movable part closes the injection hole, and when the movable part lifted therefrom opens the injection hole. The valve housing accommodates the movable part in a reciprocally movable manner. The magnetic field application unit is installed on an outer circumference of the valve housing and applies a magnetic field to the movable part and the valve housing. The detection sensor outputs a detection signal according to a size of a distance between the valve housing and the movable part.

A method for recognizing an error in a sensor signal during operation of a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine. In the method, a switch valve of the fuel injector is activated with the aid of an activation signal, and the sensor signal is detected as a signal of a sensor, which is provided for the purpose of detecting characteristic operating points of the fuel injector, in a respectively predefined time window of the sensor signal, which includes a point in time of a characteristic operating point of the fuel injector. At least one property of the sensor signal is determined, which includes a signal level and/or a rise time. It is determined, based on the at least one property of the sensor signal, whether an error is present.

A needle stroke switch and a fuel injector having such a switch, the needle stroke switch including a seat plate having a plate-like main body and a passage connecting the two planar sides of the plate-like main body, an anchor element which can be lifted off from the passage in the seat plate, and a control valve which is arranged on the side of the seat plate opposite the anchor element and is designed to interact with a nozzle needle. The seat plate is electrically isolated from a surrounding injector housing and an electrical connection to the injector housing is possible only via the nozzle needle which interacts with the seat plate. Furthermore, the needle stroke switch is characterised in that at least one ceramic and/or plastic part is provided which contacts the seat plate in order to isolate the seat plate from the surrounding injector housing.

A method for adapting the injection characteristic of a fuel injection valve of an internal combustion engine to production-related tolerances is described. In the method, an injection quantity correction value is determined from the deviation of the idle travel and the deviation of the injection quantity of the injection valve before the operating phase of the injector. This injection quantity correction value is used to determine the injection-specific deviation of the injection quantity during the operating phase at the start of the operating phase of the injector in conjunction with the current deviation of the idle travel which is determined in the system. The injector-specific deviation of the injection quantity which is determined is used to correct the injection characteristic. As a result, changes in the injection quantity of an injector can be detected and corrected particularly precisely on the basis of production tolerances.

A gas injector for injecting a gaseous fuel, in particular directly into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, including: a valve closing element for opening or closing a pass-through opening, a valve body, and a sealing seat between the valve body and the valve closing element, in the case of a maximum lift of the valve closing element a flow cross section between the valve body and the valve closing element being smaller in the flow direction upstream from the sealing seat than a flow cross section between the valve closing element and the sealing seat and being smaller than a flow cross section in the flow direction downstream from the sealing seat.

A system for controlling actuation of an electromagnetic actuator includes an actuator having an electrical coil, a magnetic core, and an armature. A controllable drive circuit is responsive to an electric power flow signal for driving current through the electrical coil to actuate the armature. A control module includes an armature motion observer configured to determine an armature motion parameter in the actuator based upon a magnetic flux within the actuator and a predetermined mechanical equation of motion corresponding to the actuator and adapt the electric power flow signal based on the armature motion parameter.

A fuel injector (10) comprising a needle (16) that can move between an entirely open position (PO) and a closed position (PF) is provided with a device (82) for identifying the position of the needle, in which an electrical circuit (84) is closed in the two extreme positions (PO, PF), the needle (16) being in electrical contact with the ground (G), the circuit (84) being open in any other intermediate position (Pi) of the needle (16), the needle (16) not being grounded (G).

An injector for injecting fuel including an injector housing, a movable nozzle needle with a nozzle needle tip arranged in the injector housing, and a nozzle needle seat for receiving the nozzle needle tip. A contact pairing of the nozzle needle and the nozzle needle seat here represents a mechanical switch that adopts a closed state upon contact of the nozzle needle tip with the nozzle needle seat and an open state upon interruption of the contact. Provision is additionally made that the injector has an input line and an output line for controlling movement of the nozzle needle, the switch has a first connector connected to the input line and a second connector connected to the injector housing, and a resistor connected between the first connector of the switch and the input line.

An injection control device includes an injector and a detection unit. The injector includes: an injection hole; a movable part; a seat portion; a valve housing; a magnetic field application unit; and a detection sensor. The movable part opens and closes the injection hole by reciprocal movement. The seat portion when seated by the movable part closes the injection hole, and when the movable part lifted therefrom opens the injection hole. The valve housing accommodates the movable part in a reciprocally movable manner. The magnetic field application unit is installed on an outer circumference of the valve housing and applies a magnetic field to the movable part and the valve housing. The detection sensor outputs a detection signal according to a size of a distance between the valve housing and the movable part.