Fluid injector having a director plate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10724486-B2
Application number	US-201815927165-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2018
Priority date	Mar 21, 2018
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

A fluid injector includes a fluid inlet; a valve seat located downstream of the fluid inlet and having a valve seat aperture extending therethrough; a valve member moveable between a closed position and an open position to control flow through the valve seat aperture; and director plate including a first aperture and a second aperture extending therethrough. A fluid flow channel is formed between the valve seat and the director plate and extends from an inlet end to an outlet end. The first aperture and the second aperture extend through the director plate from the fluid flow channel. The first aperture is located between the inlet end and the second aperture. The fluid flow channel decreases in cross-sectional area from the inlet end toward the first aperture and the fluid flow channel increases in cross-sectional area from the first aperture toward the second aperture.

First claim

We claim:

1. A fluid injector for injecting fluid into an atmosphere, said fluid injector comprising:
a fluid inlet which communicates fluid into said fluid injector;
a valve seat downstream of said fluid inlet, said valve seat having a valve seat aperture extending therethrough;
a valve member which is moveable between 1) a closed position which blocks said valve seat aperture, thereby preventing fluid communication through said valve seat aperture and 2) an open position which unblocks said valve seat aperture, thereby allowing fluid communication through said valve seat aperture;
a director plate located downstream of said valve seat, said director plate having a first director plate aperture extending therethrough which aspirates from said atmosphere and a second director plate aperture extending therethrough which discharges fluid from said fluid injector to said atmosphere; and
a fluid flow channel which includes an upper wall formed by said valve seat and also includes a lower wall which is opposed to said upper wall and which is formed by said director plate, said fluid flow channel being formed between said valve seat and said director plate and extending from an inlet end to an outlet end such that said first director plate aperture and said second director plate aperture extend through said director plate from said fluid flow channel and such that said first director plate aperture is located between said inlet end and said second director plate aperture, wherein said inlet end is open to, and proximal to, said valve seat aperture, wherein said fluid flow channel decreases in cross-sectional area in a direction from said inlet end toward said first director plate aperture, and wherein said fluid flow channel increases in cross-sectional area in a direction from said first director plate aperture toward said second director plate aperture.

2. A fluid injector as in claim 1 , wherein said first director plate aperture is smaller in cross-sectional area than said second director plate aperture.

3. A fluid injector as in claim 1 , wherein:
said first director plate aperture is one of a plurality of first director plate apertures extending therethrough which aspirate from said atmosphere;
said second director plate aperture is one of a plurality of second director plate apertures extending therethrough which discharge fluid from said fluid injector to said atmosphere;
said fluid flow channel is one of a plurality of fluid flow channels formed between said valve seat and said director plate such that each of the plurality of fluid flow channels extends from a respective inlet end to a respective outlet end;
each of said plurality of fluid flow channels includes a respective one of said plurality of first director plate apertures extending therefrom through said director plate and also includes a respective one of said plurality of second director plate apertures extending therefrom through said director plate such that said respective one of said plurality of first director plate apertures is located between said respective inlet end and said respective one of said plurality of second director plate apertures wherein said respective inlet end of each of said plurality of fluid flow channels is open to, and proximal to, said valve seat aperture, wherein each of said plurality of fluid flow channels decreases in cross-sectional area in a direction from said respective inlet end toward said respective one of said plurality of first director plate apertures, and wherein each of said plurality of fluid flow channels increases in cross-sectional area in a direction from said respective one of said plurality of first director plate apertures toward said respective one of said plurality of second director plate apertures.

4. A fluid injector for injecting fluid into an atmosphere, said fluid injector comprising:
a fluid inlet which communicates fluid into said fluid injector;
a valve seat downstream of said fluid inlet, said valve seat having a valve seat aperture extending therethrough;
a valve member which is moveable between 1) a closed position which blocks said valve seat aperture, thereby preventing fluid communication through said valve seat aperture and 2) an open position which unblocks said valve seat aperture, thereby allowing fluid communication through said valve seat aperture;
a director plate located downstream of said valve seat, said director plate having a first director plate aperture extending therethrough which aspirates from said atmosphere and a second director plate aperture extending therethrough which discharges fluid from said fluid injector to said atmosphere; and
a fluid flow channel formed between said valve seat and said director plate and extending from an inlet end to an outlet end such that said first director plate aperture and said second director plate aperture extend through said director plate from said fluid flow channel and such that said first director plate aperture is located between said inlet end and said second director plate aperture, wherein said inlet end is open to, and proximal to, said valve seat aperture, wherein said fluid flow channel decreases in cross-sectional area in a direction from said inlet end toward said first director plate aperture, and wherein said fluid flow channel increases in cross-sectional area in a direction from said first director plate aperture toward said second director plate aperture;
wherein said fluid flow channel includes an upper wall formed by said valve seat and also includes a lower wall which is opposed to said upper wall and which is formed by said director plate; and
wherein a distance between said upper wall and said lower wall decreases in said direction from said inlet end toward said first director plate aperture and increases in said direction from said first director plate aperture toward said second director plate aperture.

5. A fluid injector as in claim 4 , wherein:
said fluid flow channel includes a first sidewall which extends from said upper wall to said lower wall and also includes a second sidewall which is opposed to said first sidewall and extends from said upper wall to said lower wall; and
said first sidewall and said second sidewall are each formed by said director plate.

6. A fluid injector as in claim 5 , wherein:
said valve seat aperture is centered about, and extends through said valve seat, along an axis; and
said inlet end of said fluid flow channel is axially aligned with said valve seat aperture.

7. A fluid injector as in claim 5 , wherein:
said valve seat aperture is centered about, and extends through said valve seat, along an axis; and
a portion of said fluid flow channel between said inlet end and said first director plate aperture is axially aligned with said valve seat aperture.

8. A fluid injector as in claim 4 , wherein said upper wall is planar from proximal to said inlet end to said outlet end.

9. A fluid injector as in claim 4 , wherein said lower wall of said fluid flow channel comprises a first portion, a second portion, a third portion, a fourth portion, and a fifth portion, wherein:
said first portion initiates at said inlet end and terminates at said second portion, said first portion being planar and parallel to said upper wall;
said second portion initiates at said first portion and terminates at said third portion, said second portion being inclined toward said upper wall in a direction from said first portion to said third portion;
said third portion initiates at said second portion and terminates at said fourth portion, said third portion being planar and parallel to said upper wall;
said fourth portion initiates at said third portion and terminates at said fifth portion, said fou

Assignees

• Delphi Tech Ip Ltd

Inventors

• Pobuda Daniel
• Muller-Girard Jr Otto

Classifications

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title

• F01N2610/1453

  Sprayers or atomisers; Arrangement thereof in the exhaust apparatus · CPC title

• F02M61/1873

  Valve seats or member ends having circumferential grooves or ridges, e.g. toroidal · CPC title

• F02M51/0667

  the armature acting as a valve or having a short valve body attached thereto · CPC title

• F02M61/1806

  characterised by the arrangement of discharge orifices, e.g. orientation or size · CPC title