Fuel pump with discharge control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9777719-B2
Application number	US-201013503187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2010
Priority date	Oct 22, 2009
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

In a fuel pump that includes a pump housing ( 10 ) that has fuel passages ( 11 a, 11 b ), a plunger ( 17 ) that is movably housed in the pump housing ( 10 ), a fuel pressurizing chamber ( 15 ) that is formed in the pump housing ( 10 ) and draws in fuel via one of the fuel passages ( 11 a ) that is on the intake side of the fuel pressurizing chamber ( 15 ), pressurizes the fuel that has been drawn in, and discharges the pressurized fuel via the other fuel passage ( 11 b ) that is on the discharge side of the fuel pressure chamber ( 15 ), in response to movement of the plunger ( 17 ), and valve elements ( 12, 14, 16 ) that are arranged in the fuel passages ( 11 a, 11 b ) near the fuel pressurizing chamber ( 15 ), each of the valve elements ( 12, 14, 16 ) has a reed valve body ( 41, 42, 43; 74, 75, 76 ) arranged in the fuel passage ( 11 a ) on the intake side of the fuel pressurizing chamber ( 15 ) or the fuel passage ( 11 b ) on the discharge side of the fuel pressurizing chamber ( 15 ); and an operating member ( 21 ) that applies operating force in at least one of a valve opening direction or a valve closing direction to the reed valve body ( 41, 42, 43; 74, 75, 76 ) is provided in the pump housing ( 10 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel pump comprising:
a pump housing that has a first fuel passage and a second fuel passage;
a plunger that is movably housed in the pump housing;
a fuel pressurizing chamber that is formed in the pump housing and draws in fuel via the first fuel passage that is on an intake side of the fuel pressurizing chamber, pressurizes the fuel that has been drawn in, and discharges the pressurized fuel via the second fuel passage that is on a discharge side of the fuel pressurizing chamber, in response to movement of the plunger; and
valve elements arranged in the first fuel passage and the second fuel passage near the fuel pressurizing chamber, wherein:
the valve elements include a first reed valve body arranged in the first fuel passage on the intake side of the fuel pressurizing chamber and a second reed valve body arranged in the second fuel passage on the discharge side of the fuel pressurizing chamber;
the first reed body comprises a valve body portion, and a flexible arm portion that has one end portion that is connected to the valve body portion and another end portion opposite to the one end portion in a first direction that is supported by the pump housing, the flexible arm portion comprising a thin portion that is thinner in a displacement direction of the valve body portion than the valve body portion and that extends an entire width of the flexible arm portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
the first reed body further comprises a concave portion adjacent to the flexible arm portion and forming a gap between a first plate that is adjacent to one side surface of a second plate on which the first reed valve body is formed and the thin portion of the flexible arm portion of the first reed valve body;
a variably controlled operating member that applies operating force, in at least one of a valve opening direction or a valve closing direction to the first reed valve body is provided in the pump housing;
an electromagnetic operating unit configured to operate the operating member to cause the operating member to move in the first fuel passage in the valve opening direction or the valve closing direction; and
the electromagnetic operating unit is configured to variably control a period during which the first reed valve body is closed by the variably controlled operating member in response to movement of the plunger.

2. The fuel pump according to claim 1 , wherein:
the valve body portion opens part of the first fuel passage by being displaced in the valve opening direction and closes part of the first fuel passage by being displaced in the valve closing direction.

3. The fuel pump according to claim 2 , wherein:
the concave portion opens toward a seat plate that is adjacent to one surface side of a valve plate formed of an elastic plate, such that the gap is formed between the seat plate and the flexible arm portion of the first reed valve body; and
the first plate is the seat plate and the second plate is the valve plate.

4. The fuel pump according to claim 2 , wherein:
a valve seat portion that surrounds a portion of the first fuel passage and the second fuel passage is provided inside the pump housing; and
one side surface portion of the operating member that is away from the other end portion of the flexible arm portion is guided in the operating direction by the valve seat portion or a guide member on the pump housing side near the valve seat portion.

5. The fuel pump according to claim 1 wherein:
a valve plate formed of an elastic plate and a seat plate that is adjacent to one surface side of the valve plate are housed inside the pump housing;
the first plate is the seat plate and the second plate is the valve plate; and
the first reed valve body is formed by a part of the valve plate that has been partially cut out, and parts of the first fuel passage and the second fuel passage are formed by cutaway portions in the seat plate.

6. The fuel pump according to claim 5 , wherein:
the first reed valve body and the second reed valve body are each formed by a part of the valve plate that has been partially cut out; and
a part of the first fuel passage on the intake side of the fuel pressurizing chamber and a part of the second fuel passage on the discharge side of the fuel pressurizing chamber are each formed by a cutaway portion in the seat plate.

7. The fuel pump according to claim 6 , wherein:
a third reed valve body that opens one of the first fuel passage and the second fuel passage by being displaced in the valve opening direction and that closes the one of the first fuel passage and the second fuel passage by being displaced in the valve closing direction is formed, separate from the first reed valve body and the second reed valve body, by a part of the valve plate that has been partially cut out; and
the third reed valve body is closer to the first reed valve body arranged in the first fuel passage than to the second reed valve body or is closer to the second reed valve body arranged in the second fuel passage than to the first reed valve body.

8. The fuel pump according to claim 7 , wherein:
the first reed valve body forms an intake valve that has a check valve function and is arranged in the first fuel passage on the intake side of the fuel pressurizing chamber;
the second reed valve body forms a discharge valve that has a check valve function and is arranged in the second fuel passage on the discharge side of the fuel pressurizing chamber; and
the third reed valve body forms a relief valve that is connected to the second fuel passage on the discharge side of the fuel pressurizing chamber.

9. The fuel pump according to claim 5 , wherein:
the valve body portion opens part of the first fuel passage by being displaced in the valve opening direction and closes part of the first fuel passage by being displaced in the valve closing direction.

10. The fuel pump according to claim 5 , wherein:
the valve body portion opens part of the first fuel passage by being displaced in the valve opening direction and closes part of the first fuel passage by being displaced in the valve closing direction;
a valve seat portion that surrounds a portion of the first fuel passage and the second fuel passage is provided inside the pump housing; and
one side surface portion of the operating member that is away from the other end portion of the flexible arm portion is guided in an operating direction by the valve seat portion or a guide member on the pump housing side near the valve seat portion.

11. The fuel pump according to claim 1 , wherein:
a concave surface having a cross section that is curved in an arc shape is formed on an operated portion of the first reed valve body that receives the operating force from the operating member; and
the first reed valve body is structured such that, when the first reed valve body flexes upon receiving the operating force from the operating member, the first reed valve body receives the operating force from the operating member at a contact point located on the innermost side of the concave surface in a direction of the operating force.

12. The fuel pump according to claim 1 , wherein:
a valve seat portion that surrounds a portion of the first fuel passage and the second fuel passage is provided inside the pump housing;
the valve body portion opens part of the first fuel passage by being displaced to so as to move away from the valve seat portion and closes part of the first fuel passage by being displaced so as to engage with the valve seat portion;
the valve body portion forms an annular sloped surface that is sloped in a generally conical shape and fo

Assignees

• Usui Takashi
• Kitamura Takeshi
• Yokoyama Hirokazu
• Tanaka Yoshihiro
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Usui Takashi
• Kitamura Takeshi
• Yokoyama Hirokazu
• Tanaka Yoshihiro

Classifications

• F02M59/464

  Inlet valves of the check valve type · CPC title

• F02M63/0265

  Pumps feeding common rails · CPC title

• F02M63/005

  Pressure relief valves · CPC title

• F04B1/0465

  plate-like · CPC title

• F04B39/1073 Primary

  the members being reed valves · CPC title