Fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a fuel injection system having a valve arrangement for connecting a pressure chamber of a high-pressure fuel pump to a high-pressure accumulator. The valve arrangement has an outlet valve and a pressure-limiting valve. An outlet valve seat and a pressure-limiting valve seat are formed on a common valve seat element which is formed in one piece, and are arranged eccentrically with respect to one another.

Claims

1. A fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine, the fuel injection system comprising: a high-pressure fuel pump comprising a pressure chamber having a pump piston that moves during operation for highly pressurizing a fuel; a high-pressure accumulator storing the highly pressurized fuel; and a valve arrangement connecting the pressure chamber to the high-pressure accumulator, the valve arrangement includes: an outlet valve; an outlet valve seat, the outlet valve seat being part of the outlet valve; an outlet valve seat central axis being part of the outlet valve seat; an outlet valve closing element which is preloaded onto the outlet valve seat counter to a pressure force acting from the pressure chamber, the outlet valve closing element being part of the outlet valve; a pressure-limiting valve; a pressure-limiting valve seat, the pressure-limiting valve seat being part of the pressure-limiting valve; and a pressure-limiting valve closing element which is preloaded against the pressure-limiting valve seat counter to a pressure force acting from the high-pressure accumulator, the pressure-limiting valve closing element being part of the pressure-limiting valve; a valve housing being part of a valve seat element, the outlet valve seat and the pressure-limiting valve seat being formed as part of the valve housing; a guide section being part of the valve seat element, the guide section formed along the outlet valve seat central axis of the outlet valve seat; a plurality of outflow bulges being part of the guide section, each of the plurality of outflow bulges extends radially away from the outlet valve seat central axis of the outlet valve seat; wherein the outlet valve seat and the pressure-limiting valve seat are formed as part of the valve seat element which is formed in one piece; wherein the outlet valve seat and the pressure-limiting valve seat are arranged eccentrically with respect to one another; and wherein a thickness of the valve seat element along a valve seat element longitudinal axis is smaller than a diameter of the outlet valve closing element and a diameter of the pressure-limiting valve closing element.

2. The fuel injection system of claim 1, wherein the outlet valve seat includes an outlet valve seat circumference and the pressure-limiting valve seat has a pressure-limiting valve seat circumference, wherein a spacing of the outlet valve seat circumference to the pressure-limiting valve seat circumference is smaller than a diameter of the outlet valve closing element and/or a diameter of the pressure-limiting valve closing element.

3. The fuel injection system of claim 1, wherein: the pressure-limiting valve seat includes a pressure-limiting valve seat central axis; the outlet valve seat central axis and the pressure-limiting valve seat central axis are arranged eccentrically with respect to the valve seat element longitudinal axis; and a spacing of the outlet valve seat central axis from the valve seat element longitudinal axis and a spacing of the pressure-limiting valve seat central axis from the valve seat element longitudinal axis are equal.

4. The fuel injection system of claim 1, further comprising: an inflow bore integrally formed as part of the valve housing such that the inflow bore is part of the pressure-limiting valve, and each of the plurality of outflow bulges intersects the inflow bore.

5. The fuel injection system of claim 1, further comprising: a housing of the high-pressure fuel pump; a connecting bore, arranged in the housing of the high-pressure fuel pump, between the pressure chamber and the high-pressure accumulator, in which connecting bore the valve seat element, an outlet valve preload spring which is part of the outlet valve, the outlet valve closing element, a pressure-limiting valve preload spring which is part of the pressure-limiting valve, and the pressure-limiting valve closing element are individually arranged, wherein the valve seat element is directly fastened in the connecting bore.

6. The fuel injection system of claim 1, wherein the valve seat element, an outlet valve preload spring which is part of the outlet valve, the outlet valve closing element, a pressure-limiting valve preload spring which is part of the pressure-limiting valve, and the pressure-limiting valve closing element are arranged jointly in one cartridge housing to form the valve arrangement, the cartridge housing is fastened in a connecting bore, arranged in a housing of the high-pressure fuel pump, between the pressure chamber and the high-pressure accumulator.

7. The fuel injection system of claim 1, further comprising an inflow bore integrally formed as part of the valve housing such that the inflow bore is part of the outlet valve, and each of the plurality of outflow bulges intersects the inflow bore.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview illustration of a fuel injection system having a high-pressure fuel pump and having a high-pressure accumulator;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a sectional illustration of a partial region of the fuel injection system from FIG. 1, with a connecting bore arranged between high-pressure accumulator and a pressure chamber of the high-pressure fuel pump;

(3) FIG. 3 shows a sectional illustration of the connecting bore from FIG. 2 with a valve arrangement arranged therein, which arrangement has an outlet valve and a pressure-limiting valve;

(4) FIG. 4 shows a perspective illustration of a valve seat element of the valve arrangement from FIG. 3 in a first example; and

(5) FIG. 5 shows a perspective illustration of the valve seat element of the valve arrangement from FIG. 3 in a second example.

(6) Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview illustration of a fuel injection system 10, in which a fuel 12 is delivered by a predelivery pump 14 from a tank 16 to a high-pressure fuel pump 18. The fuel 12 is highly pressurized in the high-pressure fuel pump 18, where the quantity of fuel 12 that is pressurized in the high-pressure fuel pump 18 can be set through corresponding active actuation of an inlet valve 20. Via an outlet valve 22, the pressurized fuel 12 is then fed to a high-pressure accumulator 24, on which injectors 26 are arranged via which the pressurized and stored fuel 12 can be injected into combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine.

(8) The high-pressure fuel pump 18 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2 in a sectional illustration of a partial region of the fuel injection system 10. As Shown, the high-pressure fuel pump 18 is formed as a piston pump and therefore has a pump piston 28, which during operation moves up and down in translational manner along a movement axis 32 in a pressure chamber 30 of the high-pressure fuel pump 18. As a result of the movement, the fuel 12 situated in the pressure chamber 30 is compressed and thus pressurized. Via a connecting bore 34, which is arranged in a housing 36 of the high-pressure fuel pump 18, the pressurized fuel 12 then passes out of the pressure chamber 30 into the high-pressure accumulator 24.

(9) To be able to provide a desired pressure in the fuel 12 that is situated in the high-pressure accumulator 24, a valve arrangement 38 is arranged in the connecting bore 34, as is shown in a sectional illustration in FIG. 3.

(10) The valve arrangement 38 includes the outlet valve 22, which controls the pressure increase in the pressure chamber 30 of the high-pressure fuel pump 18. The outlet valve 22 ensures that only fuel 12 at the desired pressure exits the pressure chamber 30 in the direction of the high-pressure accumulator 24. Furthermore, said outlet valve prevents a backflow of the compressed fuel 12 back into the pressure chamber 30 when a negative pressure prevails there owing to a downward movement of the pump piston 28.

(11) The valve arrangement 38 furthermore includes a pressure-limiting valve 40. The pressure-limiting valve 40 prevents an excessive pressure increase in the high-pressure accumulator 24, because if the pressure in the high-pressure accumulator 24 exceeds a particular value, a certain volume flow of the fuel 12 is discharged back into the pressure chamber 30 via the pressure-limiting valve 40. The outlet valve 22 and the pressure-limiting valve 40 are both arranged as check valves. Therefore, the outlet valve 22 has an outlet valve closing element 42 which is preloaded against an outlet valve seat 46 by an outlet valve preload spring 44, specifically counter to a pressure force acting from the pressure chamber 30 due to the pressurized fuel 12. If the pressure force exceeds the spring force of the outlet valve preload spring 44, the outlet valve closing element 42 lifts off from the outlet valve seat 46, and pressurized fuel 12 can flow from the pressure chamber 30 in the direction of the high-pressure accumulator 24.

(12) Analogously to this, the pressure-limiting valve 40 has a pressure-limiting valve closing element 48 and a pressure-limiting valve preload spring 50 which preloads the pressure-limiting valve closing element 48 against a pressure-limiting valve seat 52, specifically counter to a pressure force, acting from the high-pressure accumulator 24, of the fuel 12 situated therein. If a high pressure in the fuel 12 that is situated in the high-pressure accumulator 24 exceeds a predetermined value, such that there is the risk of damage in the region of the high-pressure accumulator 24 or in the injectors 26 attached thereto, the pressure-limiting valve closing element 48 is opened by the pressure force of the undesirably high pressure counter to a spring force, which is lower than said undesired pressure force, of the pressure-limiting valve preload spring 50 in order to discharge fuel 12 from the high-pressure accumulator 24 and thus reduce the high pressure prevailing therein.

(13) As shown in FIG. 3, the outlet valve seat 46 and the pressure-limiting valve seat 52 are formed on a single component, specifically a valve seat element 54 formed in one piece. As shown, the two valve seats 46, 52 are arranged not concentrically but rather eccentrically with respect to one another on the valve seat element 54. It is thereby possible for the valve seat element 54 to be kept very short or narrow along a valve seat element longitudinal axis 56, and thus for a very large amount of structural space to be saved along the valve seat element longitudinal axis 56.

(14) FIG. 4 shows a perspective illustration of a first example of the valve seat element 54. In this first example, the valve seat element 54 serves merely for providing the valve seats 46, 52, and can therefore be kept short or narrow. The other components of the two valves 22, 40, such as for example the closing elements 42, 48 or the preload springs 44, 50, are then installed or guided in the housing 36, specifically in the connecting bore 34 in the housing 36 of the high-pressure fuel pump 18, or in another corresponding component. The valve seat element 54 may, for example, be fastened directly in the connecting bore 34 by simply being pressed in. It can be seen in FIG. 4 that passage bores 58 in the valve seat element 54, which passage bores form the valve seat 46, 52 of one valve 22, 40 and an inflow bore 60 of the respective other valve 22, 40, are arranged relatively close together. For this purpose, the outlet valve seat 46 has an outlet valve seat circumference 62 and the pressure-limiting valve seat 52 has a pressure-limiting valve seat circumference 64, which valve seat circumferences have a spacing A to one another which is smaller than a diameter D of at least one of the closing elements 42, 48. Optimum hydraulic behavior of the high-pressure fuel pump 18 is possible by this short spacing A.

(15) Since both valves 22, 40 are formed on one valve seat element 54, it is merely necessary for a single connecting bore 34 to be provided in order to provide the two valves 22, 40, which are needed, between the pressure chamber 30 and the high-pressure accumulator 24. This results in shorter machining times on the housing 36, because only one bore has to be formed rather than the two bores that have hitherto been provided. Altogether, this leads to a cost saving during the production of the high-pressure fuel pump 18.

(16) A thickness D.sub.V of the valve seat element 54 along the valve seat element longitudinal axis 56 is smaller than the outlet valve seat diameter D and the pressure-limiting valve seat diameter D. In this way, the installation space for the two valves 22, 40 is duly relatively large in terms of diameter as viewed across the valve seat element 54, but is shortened in terms of the thickness D.sub.V or in terms of the length along the depth direction.

(17) To realize symmetrical production of the valve seat element 54 shown in FIG. 4, the passage bores 58 are arranged symmetrically on the valve seat element 54. The outlet valve seat 46 has an outlet valve seat central axis 66 and the pressure-limiting valve seat 52 has a pressure-limiting valve seat central axis 68. For a symmetrical arrangement of the outlet valve seat 46 and of the pressure-limiting valve seat 52 on the valve seat element 54, the central axes 66, 68 have an equal spacing A.sub.M from the valve seat central longitudinal axis 56. It can also be seen in FIG. 4 that the passage bore 58, which on the visible side of the valve seat element 54 forms a valve seat 46, 52 which is conically bevelled to thereby provide the seat for the valve closing element 42, 48. By contrast, the other passage bore 58, which merely forms the inflow bore 60 for the respective other valve 22, 40, is of simple cylindrical form. As already mentioned above, FIG. 4 shows a valve seat element 54 which performs merely the function of forming the valve seats 46, 52.

(18) By contrast, FIG. 5 shows a second example which performs further functions aside from forming the valve seats 46, 52. This is because, as is shown in the perspective illustration in FIG. 5, the valve seat element 54 may also be designed so as to simultaneously serve as a valve housing 70 for the outlet valve 22 and/or the pressure-limiting valve 40. In this case, the corresponding closing element 42, 48 is guided in this valve housing 70 because the latter has a guide section 72 for guiding the respective valve closing element 42, 48. Here, the guide section 72 is formed symmetrically around the respective valve seat central axis 66, 68 and extends along the valve seat element longitudinal axis 56.

(19) If the closing element 42, 48 is guided in the valve housing 70 as which the valve seat element 54 as per FIG. 5 is formed, it is necessary for a sufficient free cross section to be provided for the throughflow of the fuel 12. However, it is at the same time also desired for as short a spacing A as possible to be provided between the sealing regions of the two valve seats 46, 52. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, at least one outflow bulge 74 is provided on the guide section 72, which outflow bulge extends radially away from the respective valve seat central axis 66, 68. Now, when the respective closing element 42, 48 lifts off from the respective valve seat 46, 52, the fuel 12 can flow radially past the closing element 42, 48 into the outflow bulge 74, and can flow out of the valve housing 70 from there.

(20) As can be seen in FIG. 5, multiple outflow bulges 74 are provided. The bulges 74 are arranged symmetrically around the valve seat central axis 66, 68. Accordingly, the passage bore 58 that is shown is not simply cylindrical but includes multiple segments or cutouts, specifically the outflow bulges 74, which ensure an adequate free cross section for the throughflow of the fuel 12. In the present example, the outflow bulges 74 may be arranged in a flower-shaped manner, with a guide web 76 in between for guiding the closing element 42, 48 that is to be provided here. The guide web 76 are substantially partial segments of a bore, which ensure good guidance, for example, of a closing element 42, 48 designed as a ball. The illustrated example with the four semicircular outflow bulges 74 is reminiscent of a flower design, though it is possible for the number, size and shape of the outflow bulges 74 to be chosen freely, for example in a manner dependent on production costs and/or required cross section.

(21) It can also be seen from FIG. 5 that the adjacent valve 22, 40 has not only the passage bore 58, which on the opposite, non-visible side forms the valve seat 46, 52, but additionally the inflow bore 60, the diameter D of which is larger than the diameter of the passage bore 58 itself. The fuel 12 is then introduced into the passage bore 58 via the inflow bore 60. It can be seen that the inflow bore 60 and at least one outflow bulge 74 intersect. It is thereby possible in this case, too, for as short a distance as possible between the sealing regions of the two valve seats 46, 52 to be ensured.

(22) As described above, the valve seat element 54 or the valve seat element 54 formed as a valve housing 70 may be individually fastened directly in the connecting bore 34, for example by being pressed in, whereas the other elements of the valves 22, 40 are held or supported in the connecting bore 34 in some other way.

(23) It is however alternatively also possible for all of the elements of the valve arrangement 38, specifically the valve seat element 54, the two preload springs 44, 50 and the two closing elements 42, 48, to be provided jointly in one cartridge housing, and thus for the valve arrangement 38 to be prefabricated as a separate module already outside the housing 36. In this case, the two valves 22, 40 may be set and tested or adjusted outside the high-pressure fuel pump 18, and also exchanged if need be, without the entire housing 36 of the high-pressure fuel pump 18 having to be scrapped. The cartridge housing with the entire valve arrangement 38 therein can then, after testing, be fastened directly in the connecting bore 34 of the high-pressure fuel pump 18.

(24) A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.