Fuel pump solenoid having hydraulic damping

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11035491-B2
Application number	US-201816024348-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2018
Priority date	Jul 3, 2017
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A solenoid assembly of a fuel pump includes a housing; a pole piece disposed within the housing; an armature assembly movably disposed within the housing and including an armature and a plunger; and a coil disposed within the housing. A plurality of metal disks are disposed in a stacked arrangement, coupled to the pole piece and situated so as to be impacted by the armature during a full stroke of the armature assembly. The solenoid assembly further includes at least one fluid path in fluid communication with the region surrounding the metal disks, the at least one fluid path configured such that only a portion of a secondary swept volume of fuel associated with the armature assembly during operation of the fuel pump passes through the region and decelerates the armature assembly when the armature assembly moves towards the pole piece responsive to a current passing through the coil.

First claim

We claim:

1. A solenoid assembly of a fuel pump, comprising:
a housing;
a pole piece fixedly disposed within the housing;
an armature assembly movably disposed within the housing, relative to the pole piece, the armature assembly including an armature and a plunger;
a coil disposed within the housing proximal to the pole piece and the armature; and
a plurality of metal disks disposed in a stacked arrangement, the metal disks coupled to the pole piece and situated so as to be impacted by the armature during a full stroke of the armature assembly,
wherein at least one of the plurality of disks includes a plurality of apertures defined axially through the disk or a plurality of cutout regions defined along a surface of the disk.

2. The solenoid assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes one or more apertures defined therethrough, the pole piece includes a hollow portion defined axially through the pole piece, the hollow portion in fluid communication externally of the solenoid assembly, and the solenoid assembly further comprises a space in the solenoid assembly surrounding the plurality of disks, a first fluid path defined in the solenoid assembly between the space surrounding the plurality of disks and the one or more apertures of the housing, and a second fluid path defined in the solenoid assembly between the hollow portion of the pole piece and the space, wherein when the solenoid assembly is energized and the armature assembly moves towards the pole piece, a first portion of a secondary swept volume of fuel of the fuel pump passes through the space surrounding the plurality of disks and the first fluid path, and a second portion of the secondary swept volume of fuel passes through the second fluid path without passing through the space surrounding the plurality of disks, the first portion of the secondary swept volume of fuel decelerating the armature assembly as the armature assembly approaches the pole piece.

3. The solenoid assembly of claim 2 , wherein the disks are loosely disposed in the volume.

4. The solenoid assembly of claim 2 , further comprising a spring retained in the hollow portion of the pole piece, and a spring retainer which retains the spring and contacts one axial end of the spring so as to present a bias force on the plunger, the spring retainer including a through-hole defining at least part of the second fluid path.

5. The solenoid assembly of claim 1 , wherein each disk is one of a flat disc or a disk having a concave surface and a convex surface.

6. The solenoid assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of disks includes a plurality of apertures defined axially through the disk.

7. The solenoid assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of disks includes a plurality of cutout regions defined along a surface of the disk.

8. The solenoid assembly of claim 7 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of disks includes an inner diameter edge and an outer diameter edge, and at least one cutout region extends from the inner diameter edge towards the outer diameter edge.

9. The solenoid assembly of claim 8 , wherein the at least one cutout region extends to the outer diameter edge.

10. A fluid pump, comprising:
a valve assembly; and
a solenoid assembly operative connected to the valve assembly, the solenoid assembly comprising:
a housing;
a pole piece fixedly disposed within the housing;
an armature assembly movably disposed at least partly within the housing, relative to the pole piece, the armature assembly including an armature and a plunger, the armature assembly and the pole piece at least partly forming a pinch region when the armature assembly moves towards the pole piece, the pinch region defined partly by a surface of the armature assembly which causes impact at or near a completion of a full stroke of the armature assembly;
a coil disposed within the housing proximal to the pole piece and the armature; and
at least one fluid path in fluid communication with the pinch region, the at least one fluid path configured such that only a portion of a secondary swept volume of fluid associated with the armature assembly during operation of the fluid pump passes through the pinch region and decelerates the armature assembly when the armature assembly moves towards the pole piece responsive to a current passing through the coil;

wherein the solenoid assembly further comprises a plurality of metal disks disposed in a stacked arrangement in the pinch region, the metal disks coupled to and forming part of the pole piece and situated so as to be impacted by the armature during a full stroke of the armature assembly, and
wherein at least one of the plurality of disks includes a plurality of apertures defined axially through the disk or a plurality of cutout regions defined along a surface of the disk.

11. The fluid pump of claim 10 , wherein the pole piece includes a hollow portion defined axially through the pole piece, the hollow portion in fluid communication externally of the solenoid assembly, and the at least one fluid path comprises a first fluid path defined between the pinch region and one or more locations external to the housing, and a second fluid path defined in the solenoid assembly extending between the hollow portion of the pole piece and the pinch region, wherein when the solenoid assembly is energized and the armature assembly moves towards the pole piece, a first portion of the secondary swept volume of fluid of the fluid pump passes through the pinch region and the first fluid path, and a second portion of the secondary swept volume of fluid passes through the second fluid path without passing through the pinch region, the first portion of the secondary swept volume of fluid decelerating the armature assembly as the armature assembly approaches the pole piece.

12. The fluid pump of claim 11 , further wherein the solenoid assembly further comprises a spring retained in the hollow portion of the pole piece, and a spring retainer which retains the spring and contacts one axial end of the spring so as to present a bias force on the plunger, the spring retainer including a through-hole defining at least part of the second fluid path.

13. The fluid pump of claim 11 , wherein the housing includes one or more apertures defined therethrough and the first fluid path extends between the pinch region and the one or more apertures of the housing.

14. The fluid pump of claim 11 , wherein the disks are loosely disposed in the volume.

15. The fluid pump of claim 11 , wherein each disk is one of a flat disc or a disk having a concave surface and a convex surface.

16. The fluid pump of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the plurality of disks includes a plurality of apertures defined axially through the disk.

17. The fluid pump of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the plurality of disks includes a plurality of cutout regions defined along a surface of the disk.

18. The fluid pump of claim 17 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of disks includes an inner diameter edge and an outer diameter edge, and at least one cutout region extends from the inner diameter edge towards the outer diameter edge.

19. The fluid pump of claim 18 , wherein the at least one cutout region extends to the outer diameter edge.

20. A fluid pump, comprising:
a valve assembly; and
a solenoid assembly operative connected to the valve assembly, the solenoid assembly comprising:
a housing;
a pole piece fixedly disposed within the housing;
an armature assembly movably di

Assignees

• Continental automotive systems inc

Inventors

• Fochtman James
• Walters John
• Craven Tyler

Classifications

• F04B53/1087 Primary

  Valve seats · CPC title

• F02M2200/8053

  involving mechanical deformation of the apparatus or parts thereof · CPC title

• H01F7/1607

  Armatures entering the winding · CPC title

• H01F7/126

  Supporting or mounting · CPC title

• F02M37/10

  submerged in fuel, e.g. in reservoir · CPC title