Apparatus and method for testing a fuel injector nozzle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11454201-B2
Application number	US-202016811904-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2020
Priority date	Sep 13, 2017
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for testing a fuel injector nozzle with a tip having at least one fuel outlet are provided. The apparatus comprises a test chamber, a holder for holding the fuel injector nozzle such that the outlet is within the test chamber, a fuel supply arrangement for supplying fuel to the fuel injector nozzle, a sensor having a sensor surface for sensing an atomized fuel spray supplied by the fuel injector nozzle through the fuel outlet and movement module for moving the sensor. The movement module is configured to position the sensor surface of the sensor at a plurality of positions corresponding to a surface of a sphere having a radius R and a center point C adjustable to match a center point ct of the tip of the fuel injector nozzle or a center point cf of an orifice of the fuel outlet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for testing a fuel injector nozzle, the fuel injector nozzle having a tip with at least one fuel outlet, the apparatus comprising:
a test chamber;
a holder configured to hold the fuel injector nozzle such that the fuel outlet of the fuel injector nozzle is within the test chamber;
a fuel supply arrangement supplying fuel to the fuel injector nozzle;
a sensor having a sensor surface sensing an atomized fuel spray supplied by the fuel injector nozzle through the fuel outlet, the atomized fuel spray supplied into the test chamber at a first pressure; and
a movement module configured to move the sensor, wherein the movement module is configured to position the sensor surface of the sensor at a plurality of positions corresponding to a surface to a sphere having a radius R and a center point C adjustable to match a center point c t of the tip of the fuel injector nozzle or a center point c f the fuel outlet to the position C,
wherein the sensor senses the atomized fuel spray that is sprayed into the test chamber at a second pressure at the plurality of positions corresponding to positions on the surface of the sphere, the second pressure being different from the first pressure.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the movement module comprises a first unit positioning the sensor surface of the sensor at a tangent to the surface of the sphere, wherein the first unit comprises a first submodule for rotating the sensor around a first rotational axis and a second rotational axis that is orthogonal to the first rotational axis.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the movement module further comprises a second unit for moving the sensor in three orthogonal linear directions.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the movement module is configured to position the sensor surface of the sensor at a plurality of positions on the surface of the sphere corresponding to a quasi equidistant map of interrogation points.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a force sensor.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 5 , wherein the sensor is configured to detect a force of the atomized fuel spray at a frequency of at least 10 kHz.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the fuel supply arrangement further comprises a module for adjusting a pressure of the fuel supplied to the fuel injector nozzle and/or a temperature control module for controlling a temperature of the fuel and/or of the fuel injector nozzle and/or a pressure control module for controlling a background pressure of the test chamber.

8. A method for testing a fuel injector nozzle, the method comprising:
placing a fuel injector nozzle having a tip with at least one fuel outlet into a test chamber;
spraying atomized fluid into the test chamber from the at least one fuel outlet of the fuel injector nozzle;
detecting the atomized fluid spray at a plurality of positions corresponding to positions of a surface of a sphere having a radius R and a center point C arranged at a center point c t of the tip of the fuel injector nozzle or at a center point c f of an orifice of the at least one fuel outlet;
measuring a force of a plume of atomized fuel from a first outlet of the fuel injector nozzle at a plurality of first equidistant positions corresponding to the surface of the sphere at the radius R according to a first distribution map that corresponds to a portion of the surface of the sphere at the radius R;
determining a sensed center of the plume;
comparing the sensed center of the plume to an expected center of the plume;
determining a difference between the sensed center of the plume and the expected center of the plume and, if a difference is determined between the sensed center of the plume and the expected center of the plume that is greater than a predetermined threshold value; and
adjusting an orientation of the first distribution map with respect to the fuel injector nozzle such that the difference between the sensed center of the plume and the expected center of the plume is less than the predetermined threshold value.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the atomized fluid spray is detected using a sensor comprising a sensor surface, the sensor surface being positioned at a tangent to the surface of the sphere and wherein the plurality of positions are equidistant on the surface of the sphere.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein a value corresponding to a parameter of the fluid spray is obtained at each position and a fuel distribution map is formed from the values.

11. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising adjusting the radius R to a different value R′, positioning the sensor at a plurality of equidistant positions on the surface of a sphere having a center point C and a radius R′, and obtaining a value corresponding to force of the fluid spray from the at least one fuel outlet of the fuel injector nozzle at each position of a plurality of equidistant positions on the surface of the sphere with the radius R′ and forming an outlet distribution map from the values.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein an angular orientation of the first distribution map with respect to the fuel injector nozzle is adjusted such that the difference between the sensed center of the plume and the expected center of the plume is less than the predetermined threshold value.

13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of first equidistant positions are mutually spaced apart by a first arc length and the method further comprises detecting the fluid spray at a plurality of second equidistant positions corresponding to positions of a surface of the sphere at the radius R, wherein the plurality of second positions are mutually spaced apart by a second arc length which is smaller than the first arc length.

14. A method for testing a fuel injector nozzle, the method comprising:
placing a fuel injector nozzle having a tip with at least one fuel outlet into a test chamber;
spraying atomized fluid into the test chamber from the at least one fuel outlet of the fuel injector nozzle, the atomized fluid sprayed into the test chamber at a first pressure;
detecting the atomized fluid spray at a plurality of positions corresponding to positions of a surface of a sphere having a radius R and a center point C arranged at a center point c t of the tip of the fuel injector nozzle or at a center point c f of an orifice of the at least one fuel outlet,
adjusting the pressure of the fluid supplied to the fuel injector nozzle to a second pressure that is different from the first pressure; and
detecting the atomized fluid spray that is sprayed into the test chamber at the second pressure at a plurality of positions corresponding to positions on the surface of the sphere.

Assignees

• Vitesco Tech Gmbh

Inventors

• Gestri Luca

Classifications

• G01L5/0052

  measuring forces due to impact (G01L5/0061, G01L5/14 take precedence; impact testing of structures G01M7/08; impact testing of material G01N3/00) · CPC title

• F02M65/00 Primary

  Testing fuel-injection apparatus, e.g. testing injection timing {(testing of ignition F02P17/00; measuring fuel consumption G01F9/00); Cleaning of fuel-injection apparatus} · CPC title

• G01M15/04

  Testing internal-combustion engines · CPC title