Multi-hole fuel injector with sequential fuel injection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9964088-B2
Application number	US-201614997756-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2016
Priority date	Jan 18, 2016
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for direct fuel injection. In one example, a fuel injector system includes an injector needle with an injector pin with a curved fuel channel around the outer circumference of the injector pin, fluidically connected along the length of the curved fuel channel with a fuel reservoir inside the injector pin. An actuator coupled to the injector needle may sequentially move and position the injector needle to establish fluidic connection between the curved fuel channel and with one or more nozzle holes of the fuel injector at each position, discharging fuel from only those nozzle holes, thereby minimizing fuel spray interaction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel injector system, comprising:
an injector body with a plurality of nozzle holes; and
an injector needle coupled to an injector pin, the injector pin including a curved fuel channel in fluidic communication with a fuel reservoir inside the injector pin, the injector needle and injector pin housed inside the injector body;
where, in a first position, the curved fuel channel is configured to be in fluidic communication with only one of the plurality of nozzle holes to generate an asymmetric spray pattern;
where, in a second position, the curved fuel channel is configured to be in fluidic communication with two or more of the plurality of nozzle holes to generate a symmetric spray pattern; and
where the fuel injector system transitions between the first position to generate the asymmetric spray pattern and the second position to generate the symmetric spray pattern based on one or more of engine speed, engine load, and engine temperature.

2. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an actuator coupled to the injector needle; and
a controller storing non-transitory instructions that when executed cause the controller to, responsive to a command to inject fuel, activate the actuator to push the injector needle in a downward direction, sequentially establishing fluidic communication between the curved fuel channel and each of the plurality of nozzle holes.

3. The fuel injector system of claim 2 , wherein when the actuator pushes the injector needle to the first position, fluidic communication is established between the curved fuel channel and a first nozzle hole.

4. The fuel injector system of claim 3 , wherein when the actuator pushes the injector needle to the second position, fluidic communication is established between the curved fuel channel and a second nozzle hole, and between the curved fuel channel and a third nozzle hole.

5. The fuel injector system of claim 4 , wherein when the actuator pushes the injector needle to the first position, fluidic communication between the curved fuel channel and the second nozzle hole is blocked, and fluidic communication between the curved fuel channel and the third nozzle hole is blocked.

6. The fuel injector system of claim 4 , wherein when the actuator pushes the injector needle to the second position, fluidic communication between the curved fuel channel and the first nozzle hole is blocked.

7. The fuel injector system of claim 2 , wherein when the actuator is activated, fluidic communication is sequentially established between the curved fuel channel and only a first nozzle hole, then a first set of nozzle holes, then a second set of nozzle holes, then a third set of nozzle holes, then a fourth set of nozzle holes, then a fifth set of nozzle holes, then a sixth set of nozzle holes, then a seventh set of holes, and then only a last nozzle hole.

8. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzle holes comprises sixteen nozzle holes arranged radially around a center axis of the injector body.

9. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of nozzle holes is located in a common vertical plane.

10. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , wherein the curved fuel channel curves 360 degrees around a circumferential surface of the injector pin.

11. The fuel injector system of claim 10 , wherein the curved fuel channel is positioned at an angle relative to a transverse axis of the injector pin, such that the curved fuel channel passes through multiple vertical planes as it curves around the circumferential surface of the injector pin.

12. The fuel injector system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel reservoir inside the injector pin is fluidically coupled to a fuel supply.

13. A method for a fuel injector, comprising:
actuating a needle housed within a body of the fuel injector to sequentially move the needle downward from a closed position through a plurality of open positions, where in one of the plurality of open positions a curved fuel channel of the fuel injector is fluidically connected to a single nozzle hole to generate an asymmetric spray pattern, and in another of the plurality of open positions the curved fuel channel is fluidically connected to at least two nozzle holes to generate a symmetric spray pattern; and
transitioning between the open position that generates the asymmetric spray pattern and the open position that generates the symmetric spray pattern based on one or more of engine speed, engine load, and engine temperature.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising flowing fuel from a fuel supply to a fuel reservoir within the needle, the fuel in the fuel reservoir flowing through the curved fuel channel and through each respective nozzle hole of the fuel injector as the needle moves downward.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein actuating the needle comprises actuating the needle in response to a command to inject fuel to a cylinder in which the fuel injector is housed.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein actuating the needle to sequentially move the needle downward from the closed position through the plurality of open positions comprises actuating the needle to sequentially move through nine open positions.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein actuating the needle to sequentially move through nine open positions comprises:
actuating the needle to move to a first open position where fluidic communication is established between the curved fuel channel and a first nozzle hole;
actuating the needle to move to a second through an eighth open position where in each of the second through eighth open positions, fluidic communication is established between the curved fuel channel and a respective pair of nozzle holes; and
actuating the needle to move to a ninth open position where fluidic communication is established between the curved fuel channel and a last nozzle hole.

18. A system, comprising:
an engine having a cylinder;
a fuel supply;
a fuel injector coupled to the cylinder, the fuel injector comprising:
an injector body with a plurality of nozzle holes, the injector body including a fuel passage coupled to the fuel supply;
an injector needle coupled to an injector pin, the injector pin encircled by a curved fuel channel in fluidic communication with a fuel reservoir inside the injector pin, the injector pin housed inside the injector body, the fuel reservoir in fluidic communication with the fuel passage; and
an actuator coupled to the injector needle; and

a controller storing non-transitory instructions in memory that when executed cause the controller to:
responsive to a command to inject fuel to the cylinder, activate the actuator to push the injector needle in a downward direction into a first position where the curved fuel channel is in fluidic communication with only one of the plurality of nozzle holes to generate an asymmetric spray pattern, and into a second position where the curved fuel channel is configured to be in fluidic communication with two or more of the plurality of nozzle holes to generate a symmetric spray pattern; and
transition between the first position to generate the asymmetric spray pattern and the second position to generate the symmetric spray pattern based on one or more of engine speed, engine load, and engine temperature.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of nozzle holes comprises sixteen nozzle holes arranged radially around a center axis of the injector body, wherein each of the plurality of nozzle holes is located in a c

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Zhang Xiaogang

Classifications

• F02M61/06 Primary

  the valves being furnished at seated ends with pintle or plug shaped extensions · CPC title

• F02D2200/021

  Engine temperature · CPC title

• F02M61/1813 Primary

  Discharge orifices having different orientations with respect to valve member direction of movement, e.g. orientations being such that fuel jets emerging from discharge orifices collide with each other · CPC title

• F02D41/38 Primary

  of the high pressure type · CPC title

• F02D2200/101

  Engine speed · CPC title