Caterpillar Inc.

Adam L Stecklein

Cory Andrew Brown

Daniel Richard Ibrahim

Gregory W Hefler

Glenn Brian Cox

Adrienne M Brasche

Zhenyu Li

Joshua D Carlson

Ryan Hinrichsen

Derik Warne

Rajesh Paranjape

A fuel injector includes a needle valve including a spring-retaining section and a guide section that is adjacent to the spring-retaining section. The spring-retaining section includes an elongated portion and a flange that are together configured to support a spring assembly. The guide section includes a plurality of constricted portions alternatingly arranged with a plurality of expanded portions to define an undulating shape of the guide section. Each of the plurality of expanded portions includes a plurality of indentations to permit fuel to travel therealong to exit an outlet of the fuel injector. The guide section has a length that is substantially equal to a length of the spring-retaining section.

Check valve for a fuel injector

A liquid pump applicable in a fuel system such as a common rail fuel system includes a valve assembly having a valve stack with axially aligned components, dead volume, and vapor-distributing flow channels, for cavitation mitigation. An inlet valve meters a flow of liquid into the pump for pressurization by a plurality of reciprocating plungers operated by way of a rotating camshaft.

Liquid pump with cavitation mitigation

An actuator for a valve assembly includes a body having an internal surface defining a bore therein, the internal surface including a first body shoulder at least partly facing a longitudinal direction defined along a longitudinal axis of the bore; a first armature disposed within the bore, the first armature being configured to generate a force in response to a first electromagnetic field acting thereon; a first stem operatively coupled to the first armature and a first valve of the valve assembly; a first pair of shoulders disposed on the first stem, the first pair of shoulders at least partly facing one another and defining a first stem circumferential groove therebetween; and a first valve travel spacer disposed about the first stem circumferential groove, and disposed in interference with the first body shoulder along the longitudinal direction.

Fluid injector actuator with resilient armature overtravel feature

A common rail fuel injector includes a fuel inlet, a set of nozzle outlets, a drain outlet, a nozzle chamber and a needle control chamber. A needle control valve includes a ceramic control valve member movable between a closed position in contact with a flat valve seat to block the needle control chamber from the drain outlet, and an open position at which the needle control chamber is fluidly connected to the drain outlet. A solenoid actuator is mounted in the injector body and includes an armature movable between an overtravel position and an energized position, but the armature has a stable un-energized position between the overtravel position and the energized position. A needle valve member is positioned in the injector body and includes an opening hydraulic surface exposed to fluid pressure in the nozzle chamber, and a closing hydraulic surface exposed to fluid pressure in the needle control chamber. Armature overtravel is facilitated by a telescoping armature pin that includes a stem affixed to the armature and telescopically received in a pusher in contact with the ceramic control valve member.

Fuel injector with telescoping armature overtravel feature

Growing community of inventors

Morton, IL, United States of America

Adam L Stecklein