Fuel injector for injecting fuel

Abstract

The invention relates to a fuel injector for injecting fuel under high pressure, comprising a housing (1) equipped with a nozzle needle (10) which can be moved in a longitudinal direction and a seal surface (11) of which opens and closes one or more injection openings (13), fuel being injectable via said injection openings. A control chamber (20) which can be filled with fuel exerts a hydraulic pressure onto the nozzle needle (10) in the closing direction thereof, wherein the pressure in the control chamber (20) can be influenced by a control valve (22) in that the control valve (22) opens and closes a hydraulic connection between the control chamber (20) and a low-pressure chamber (21). The control valve (22) comprises a solenoid armature (23) which interacts with a control valve seat (26) in order to open and close the hydraulic connection, said solenoid armature (23) being radially guided in the housing (1) on the exterior (33) of the solenoid armature.

Claims

1. A fuel injector for injecting fuel at high pressure, the fuel injector having a housing (1) in which there is arranged a longitudinally displaceable nozzle needle (10) which, by way of a sealing surface (11), opens and closes one or more injection openings (13) via which the fuel can be ejected, and having a control chamber (20) which can be filled with fuel and which exerts a hydraulic force on the nozzle needle (10) in a closing direction thereof, and having a control valve (22) by way of which a pressure in the control chamber (20) can be influenced in that the control valve (22) opens and closes a hydraulic connection of the control chamber (20) to a low-pressure chamber (21), wherein the control valve (22) comprises a magnet armature (23) with an armature disk (24) and a cylindrical closing element (25) that interacts with a control-valve seat (26) for the purpose of opening and closing the hydraulic connection, and wherein the control valve seat (26) is configured as a flat seat, and the closing element (25) is made of a non-magnetizable or only slightly magnetizable material.

2. The fuel injector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnet armature (23) is of rotationally symmetrical form.

3. The fuel injector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a spacing between an outer side (33) of the armature disk (24) and the housing (1) is dimensioned such that, perpendicular to a direction of movement, the armature disk (24) cannot be deflected from a central position by more than 0.15 mm (d) in any direction.

4. The fuel injector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnet armature (23) is loaded by an armature spring (34) in a closing direction in the direction of the control-valve seat (26).

5. The fuel injector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a top side (123), facing toward an electromagnet (30), of the magnet armature (23) is of flat form.

6. The fuel injector as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that wherein a bottom side (223), opposite the top side (123) and facing toward the control-valve seat (26), of the magnet armature (23) is formed to be flat and parallel to the top side (123).

7. The fuel injector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a maximum travel (h) of the magnet armature (23) is less than or equal to 0.1 mm.

8. The fuel injector as claimed in claim 1, wherein some or all components (7; 17; 36) which limit movement of the magnet armature (23) consist of material which is non-magnetizable or is magnetizable only to a small degree.

9. The fuel injector of claim 1, wherein the magnet armature (23) is guided radially in the housing (1) only at an outer side (33) of the armature disk (24).

10. A fuel injector for injecting fuel at high pressure, the fuel injector comprising: a housing (1) in which there is arranged a longitudinally displaceable nozzle needle (10) which, by way of a sealing surface (11), opens and closes one or more injection openings (13) via which the fuel can be ejected; a control chamber (20) which can be filled with fuel and which exerts a hydraulic force on the nozzle needle (10) in a closing direction thereof, and a control valve (22) by which a pressure in the control chamber (20) can be influenced in that the control valve (22) opens and closes a hydraulic connection of the control chamber (20) to a low-pressure chamber (21), wherein the control valve (22) comprises a magnet armature (23) with an armature disk (24), wherein the magnet armature (23) interacts with a control-valve seat (26) for the purpose of opening and closing the hydraulic connection; wherein the magnet armature (23) is guided radially in the housing (1) only at an outer side (33) of the armature disk (24); wherein a top side (123) of the armature disk (24) is facing toward an electromagnet (30) and flat; wherein a bottom side (223), opposite the top side (123), of the armature disk (24) is flat and parallel to the top side (123); and wherein the control-valve seat (26) is flat and engages with the flat bottom side (223) of the armature disk (24) such that the bottom side (223) of the armature disk (24) operates as a closing element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Various exemplary embodiments of the fuel injector according to the invention are shown in the drawing, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a fuel injector as is known from the prior art, wherein only the essential components are illustrated,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a further fuel injector known from the prior art, wherein only the region of the solenoid valve is illustrated here,

(4) FIG. 3 and

(5) FIG. 4 show illustrations of misalignments of the solenoid valve in the case of the fuel injector known from the prior art, and

(6) FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 show exemplary embodiments of the fuel injector according to the invention or of the control valve according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) FIG. 1 illustrates in longitudinal section a fuel injector as is known from the prior art. The fuel injector has a housing 1 which comprises a holding body 2 and a nozzle body 3 which abut against one another, wherein said bodies are braced against one another in a liquid-tight manner by a clamping device (not illustrated in the drawing). In the holding body 2 and in the nozzle body 3, there is formed a pressure chamber 5 which can be filled with fuel at high pressure. In this case, the filling of the pressure chamber 5 is realized via a high-pressure channel 6 which is formed in the housing 1 and which can be connected to a fuel high-pressure source. The pressure chamber 5 is delimited on the lower side in the drawing, that is to say a side facing toward a combustion chamber, by a conical nozzle seat 12, which is adjoined by a blind hole 14 from which multiple injection openings 13 depart. On the opposite side, the pressure chamber 5 is delimited by a valve piece 7, which is fixed by a valve clamping screw 8 screwed in the housing 1. The valve piece 7 has a receptacle for a piston-like nozzle needle 10 which is arranged in a longitudinally displaceable manner in the pressure space 5. Formed on the nozzle needle 10 at the end thereof facing toward the nozzle seat 12 is a conical sealing surface 11, by way of which the nozzle needle 10 interacts with the nozzle seat 12 for the purpose of opening and closing a flow cross section. If the nozzle needle 10 lifts off from the nozzle seat 12, then fuel flows from the pressure chamber 5 to one or more injection openings 13 through between the sealing surface 11 and the nozzle seat 12 and is ejected through said injection openings.

(8) The nozzle needle 10 and the valve piece 7 delimit a control chamber 20 which can be filled with fuel at high pressure via an inflow throttle 15. The hydraulic pressure in the control space 20 results in a closing force directed in the direction of the nozzle seat 12 being exerted on the nozzle needle 10. The movement of the nozzle needle 10 is realized in a servo-hydraulic manner, that is to say by way of regulation of the pressure in the control chamber 20. For this purpose, there is formed in the valve piece 7 an outflow throttle 16 which opens out into a low-pressure chamber 21 in the holding body 2. In this case, the low-pressure chamber 21 is filled with fuel at all times to a low fuel pressure, but at all times completely, via a return line (not shown).

(9) The outflow throttle 16 is opened or closed by a control valve 22. The control valve 22 comprises a magnet armature 23 on which an armature disk 24, a guide section 28 and a closing element 25 are formed. The magnet armature 23 extends through a bore 27 which is formed in the valve clamping screw 8. By way of an armature spring 34, a closing force is exerted on the magnet armature 23 in the direction of a conical control-valve seat 26 formed on the valve piece 7. In this exemplary embodiment, the closing element 25 is of spherical form and interacts with the conical control-valve seat 26 for the purpose of opening and closing the outflow throttle 16. The electromagnet 30, which comprises a coil 31 and a magnet core 32, serves for moving the magnet armature 23. If the electromagnet 30 is electrically energized, then it exerts a magnetic force of attraction on the magnet armature 23 and pulls the latter away from the control-valve seat 26 counter to the force of the preloaded armature spring 34, so that the outflow throttle 16 is opened and a connection between the control chamber 20 and the low-pressure chamber 21 is established. Fuel present in the control chamber 20 then flows away into the low-pressure chamber 21, so that the pressure in the control chamber 20 drops slightly and the valve needle 10, driven by the hydraulic pressure in the pressure chamber 5, is pushed away from the nozzle seat 12 and opens up the connection between the pressure chamber 5 and the blind hole 14 or the injection openings 13. If the fuel injection is to be ended, then the electrical energization of the electromagnet 30 is ended and the armature spring 34 pushes the magnet armature 23 back into its closed position, in which the closing element 25 once again closes off the outflow throttle 16. The fuel subsequently flowing into the control chamber 20 via the inflow throttle 15 increases the pressure to the pressure level of the pressure chamber 5, so that the nozzle needle 10 is pushed back into its closed position.

(10) FIG. 2 shows a further fuel injector known from the prior art, wherein only the region of the solenoid valve is illustrated, in longitudinal section, here. The remaining regions of the fuel injector correspond to the illustration in FIG. 1. Here, the magnet armature 23 has a guide section 28 which is guided tightly in the bore 27 formed in the valve clamping screw 8. Here, the amount of radial play in the bore 27 is selected to be very small in order to prevent an axial offset or an angular misalignment of the magnet armature 23. The bore 27 and the guide section 28 must be made very precisely in order, on the one hand, to ensure good guidance and, on the other hand, not to provoke any unnecessary wear, which would have an adverse effect on the service life of the control valve 22. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the control-valve seat 26 is formed as a flat seat and the closing element 25 correspondingly has a flat sealing surface by way of which it interacts with the flat control-valve seat 26.

(11) FIG. 3 shows the effect of an angular misalignment of the magnet armature 23. If, owing to manufacturing tolerances or owing to thermal expansions, which can occur in the fuel injector, an angular misalignment of the magnet armature 23 occurs, then the guide section 28 in the bore 27 is acted on by a tilting moment, this being illustrated in FIG. 3 by the forces F and the corresponding arrows. Such a misalignment by an angle , which is shown extremely enlarged here for the sake of clarity, brings about one-sided loading of the guide section 28 and thus punctiform contact of the guide section 28 with the bore 27. This leads to increased wear at the corresponding points and thus to a reduced service life of the control valve 22. For sealing off the outflow throttle 16, a closing element 25 mounted rotatably in the receptacle is required here. A similar situation can also occur with a spherical closing element 25 and with a conical control-valve seat 26, as shown in FIG. 4. Since the position of the spherical sealing element 25 is defined by the conical control-valve seat 26, there must be made possible not only the angular deviation but also a positional compensation between the armature guide and the valve seat, in order to ensure the tightness of the control valve. This occurs here by way of a separating plane between the guide body 29 and the guide section 28 of the magnet armature 23.

(12) FIG. 5 illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of the control valve according to the invention. The magnet armature 23 is of substantially disk-like form and has a flat top surface 123 which faces toward the electromagnet 30. A likewise flat bottom side 223 which interacts with the control-valve seat 26, which is formed as a flat seat, is formed on the magnet armature 23 opposite the flat top side 123. The magnet armature 23 is guided at its outer side (33) in a sleeve 17, which defines the spacing between the electromagnet 30 or the magnet core 32 and the valve clamping screw 8. Here, in relation to the guidance in a bore as in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the amount of guidance play d is relatively large, for example 0.1 mm or slightly less. Consequently, on the one hand, adequate guidance of the magnet armature 23 in the sleeve 17 is ensured and, on the other hand, it is thus possible to realize free-flowing of the fuel between the top side 123 and the bottom side 223, in order for the movement of the magnet armature 23 not be hindered. To further facilitate this fuel flow, provision may also be made for bores to be formed in the magnet armature 23, which bores connect the top side to the bottom side.

(13) FIG. 5 also shows an angular misalignment of the magnet armature 23 or of the longitudinal axis or of the bottom side of the electromagnet 30, wherein, for the sake of clarity, the angle is depicted significantly larger than is really the case. If the electromagnet 30 in this exemplary embodiment is switched on, then the magnetic force pulls the magnet armature 23 into abutment against the magnet core 32 and said magnet armature abuts flatly against said magnetic core. A possible angular misalignment by the angle , as illustrated here, is compensated in this case since the magnet armature 23 constantly abuts flatly against the magnet core 32. When the electrical energization is ended, the armature spring 34 pushes the magnet armature 23 back against the flat control valve seat 26, wherein the angular misalignment can once again be compensated. The travel h of the magnet armature 23 is in this case relatively small, for example 0.1 mm.

(14) FIG. 6 illustrates a further exemplary embodiment of the control valve according to the invention. Here, at its bottom side, the magnet armature 23 does not have a planar surface parallel to the top side, but rather has a spherical closing element 25 which interacts with a conical control-valve seat 26, as is already shown in FIG. 1. Since the magnet armature 23 has a relatively large amount of radial play in the sleeve 17, the magnet armature 23 is centered by the closing element 25, so that it always returns to its central position without further guide elements being necessary.

(15) FIG. 7, like FIG. 5, shows a further exemplary embodiment with a flat seat, this meaning that the closing element 25 interacts with a planar control-valve seat 26. The closing element 25 is formed here as a cylindrical component, whereby the requirements for the magnet armature with regard to wear are reduced. Consequently, the material of the magnet armature 23 can be optimized with regard to the magnetic properties with reduced requirements for mechanical stability and thus with greater freedom of design. Further improvements can be achieved in that the sleeve 17, the closing element 25 and the upper travel stop are made from material which is non-magnetizable or is magnetizable only to a small degree. Here, the upper travel stop is realized in the form of a disk 36 which is clamped between the sleeve 17 and the magnet core 32 and which abuts against the armature disk 24 in the open position of the control valve.