Marine propulsion devices and fuel injection systems for marine propulsion devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9458808-B1
Application number	US-201414570400-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2014
Priority date	Dec 15, 2014
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

A marine propulsion device comprises an internal combustion engine that has a piston-cylinder. A fuel injector injects fuel into the internal combustion engine. A fuel rail conveys the fuel to the fuel injector. The fuel rail has an upstream inlet end that receives the fuel and a downstream outlet end that supplies the fuel to the fuel injector. A fuel hose has an upstream inlet end that receives the fuel from a fuel reservoir and a downstream outlet end that discharges the fuel to the inlet end of the fuel rail. A filter element axially extends into at least one of the fuel rail and the fuel hose. The filter element is configured to filter particulate materials from the fuel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A marine propulsion device comprising:
an internal combustion engine that has a piston-cylinder;
a fuel injector that injects fuel into the internal combustion engine;
a fuel rail that conveys the fuel to the fuel injector, the fuel rail having an upstream inlet end that receives the fuel and a downstream outlet end that supplies the fuel to the fuel injector;
a fuel hose that has an upstream inlet end that receives the fuel from a fuel reservoir and a downstream outlet end that discharges the fuel to the upstream inlet end of the fuel rail; and
a filter element that axially extends into at least one of the fuel rail and the fuel hose, wherein the filter element is configured to filter particulate materials from the fuel.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the filter element comprises an elongated body that axially extends into the at least one of the fuel rail and the fuel hose.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the elongated body comprises an open first end and a closed second end, and wherein the elongated body is radially inwardly tapered from the open first end to the closed second end.

4. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the elongated body comprises an open first end and a closed second end, and wherein the fuel hose overlaps both the open first end of the elongated body and the upstream inlet end of the fuel rail.

5. The device according to claim 4 , further comprising an expansion on the open first end, wherein the expansion defines a radially outer flange that abuts the upstream inlet end of the fuel rail.

6. The device according to claim 4 , further comprising a radially outer barb at the open first end, wherein the radially outer barb engages an inner surface of the fuel hose to secure the fuel hose with respect to the filter element.

7. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the elongated body comprises an open first end and a closed second end, and wherein the elongated body extends into the upstream inlet end of the fuel rail.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the closed second end of the elongated body is located downstream of the downstream outlet of the fuel rail.

9. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the elongated body comprises an open first end, a closed second end, and a sidewall that axially extends between the open first end and the closed second end, wherein the sidewall defines a passageway that receives the fuel via the open first end and conveys the fuel towards the closed second end.

10. The device according to claim 9 , further comprising at least one protrusion on the sidewall, wherein the elongated body extends into the upstream inlet end of the fuel rail, and wherein the upstream inlet end of the fuel rail is engaged with the at least one protrusion to secure the elongated body with respect to the fuel rail.

11. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the sidewall defines at least one window, and further comprising a screen in the at least one window, and wherein the fuel transversely flows from the passageway through the screen.

12. The device according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one window comprises at least one upstream window and at least one downstream window, wherein the at least one downstream window is located between the closed second end of the fuel rail and the at least one upstream window.

13. The device according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one upstream window comprises a pair of upstream windows that are located on opposite sides of the elongated body and wherein the at least one downstream window comprises a pair of downstream windows that are located on opposite sides of the elongated body.

14. The device according to claim 13 , wherein the sidewall comprises a brace that peripherally extends around the elongated body and axially between the pair of upstream windows and the pair of downstream windows.

15. The device according to claim 13 , wherein the sidewall comprises a pair of braces that axially extend between the pair of upstream windows and between the pair of downstream windows and are on opposite sides of the elongated body.

16. The device according to claim 13 , and wherein the elongated body extends into the upstream inlet end of the fuel rail such that the pair of downstream windows is located downstream of the downstream outlet of the fuel rail.

17. A filter element for a fuel rail on an internal combustion engine, wherein the fuel rail is configured to convey the fuel from a fuel hose to a fuel injector, and wherein the fuel rail has an upstream inlet end that receives the fuel from the fuel hose and a downstream outlet end that supplies the fuel to the fuel injector, the filter element comprising:
a body that is configured to axially extend into at least one of the fuel rail and the fuel hose;
wherein the body comprises an open first end, a closed second end, and a sidewall that axially extends between the open first end and the closed second end, wherein the sidewall defines a passageway that receives fuel via the open first end and conveys the fuel towards the closed second end;
wherein the sidewall defines at least one window, and further comprises a screen in the at least one window, wherein the fuel radially flows from the passageway through the screen and into the fuel rail; and
wherein the body is radially inwardly tapered from the open first end to the closed second end.

18. The filter element according to claim 17 , wherein the at least one window comprises at least one upstream window and at least one downstream window that is located closer to the closed second end than the upstream window, wherein the at least one upstream window comprises a pair of upstream windows located on opposite sides of the body, and wherein the at least one downstream window comprises a pair of downstream windows located on opposite sides of the body.

19. The filter element according to claim 18 , wherein the sidewall comprises a brace that peripherally extends around the body between the pair of upstream windows and the pair of downstream windows, and wherein the sidewall comprises a pair of braces that axially extend along the pair of upstream windows and the pair of downstream windows and on opposite sides of the body.

20. The filter element according to claim 19 , further comprising an expansion on the open first end, wherein the expansion defines a radially outer flange that abuts the inlet end of the fuel rail, and wherein the expansion further defines a radially outer barb that engages with an inner surface of the fuel hose to secure the fuel hose with respect to the filter element.

Assignees

• Brunswick Corp

Inventors

• Torgerud Michael A

Classifications

• F02M63/0275 Primary

  Arrangement of common rails · CPC title

• F02M19/066 Primary

  Built-in cleaning elements, e.g. filters · CPC title

• F02M69/465 Primary

  of fuel rails · CPC title

• F02M2200/27

  Fuel-injection apparatus with filters · CPC title