Caterpillar Inc.

Avinash Reddy Manubolu

Stephen Robert Lewis

Shriprasad Gaurishankar Lakhapati

Daniel Richard Ibrahim

Christopher D Hanson

Jayaraman Krishnapura Venkataraghavan

Dianqi Fang

Zhenlong Xu

Alan Ray Stockner

Dennis Henderson Gibson

Marion Billingsley Grant, Jr

Michael Gerstner

Bradley E Bartley

Nadeem N Bunni

Bryan Moore

Avtar S Sandhu

Jayaramanaraman K Venkataraghavan

Jeffrey M Mullinix

Christopher A Greer

Lin Zhang

Venu G Garimidi

A fuel injector includes an injector body forming an actuator portion. An actuator bore is formed in the actuator portion and is at least partially defined by an inner surface and by an end surface. An actuator disposed in the actuator bore and has an outer surface such that a flow channel can be defined between the inner surface of the actuator bore and the outer surface of the actuator. A cooling flow passage is formed in the injector body, in fluid communication with the actuator bore, and is adapted to supply cooling fluid to the actuator bore. A drain passage is formed in the injector body, in fluid communication with the actuator bore. An internal cooling fluid flow path extends from the cooling flow passage, through the flow channel, and from the flow channel through the drain passage.

System and method for internal cooling of a fuel injector

A nozzle assembly for a fuel injector capable of withstanding high-pressures includes a nozzle chamber defined by a high-pressure containment sleeve, a tip component defining a nozzle outlet, and an injector stack component. A leakage path is defined between an injector body casing and an outer wall surface of the high-pressure containment sleeve and a needle valve member that opens and closes the nozzle outlet is out of contact with the high-pressure containment sleeve. The high-pressure containment sleeve has a hollow, cylindrical shape and has an inner wall exposed to fluid pressure inside the nozzle chamber that is free of stress concentrating surface features associated with heart shaped cavities in the prior art.

High-pressure containment sleeve for nozzle assembly and fuel injector using same

A housing for an armature of a fuel injector, a fuel injector and a fuel injection system are disclosed. The armature housing includes a first cylindrical portion for slidably accommodating the armature pin. The first cylindrical portion has a minimum inner diameter that is closely matched to the maximum outer diameter of the armature pin. A second cylindrical portion of the armature housing accommodates the armature. The second cylindrical portion has an inner minimum diameter that is closely matched to the maximum outer diameter of the armature. The disclosed armature housing provides more reliable and more consistent movement of the armature.

Fuel injection systems and armature housings

A common rail single fluid injection system including fuel injectors with the ability to produce multiple injection rate shapes. This is accomplished by including auxiliary filling orifices which selectively provide pressurized fluid to the check needle control chamber during injection events. In so doing, the speed and movement of the check needle is manipulated and differing injection rates may be achieved.

Fluid injector with auxiliary filling orifice

A valve assembly including an armature and a valve member that are coupled when the solenoid coil is de-energized but are decoupled after the solenoid coil is energized. A first spring biases the armature and the valve member to a closed valve seat position while a second spring having a smaller preload than the first spring biases the valve member to an open valve seat position. When the solenoid coil is energized, the magnetic force of the coil overcomes the force exerted by the first spring pulling the armature away from the valve member. The valve member moves to the open valve seat position by the force exerted by the second spring. When the coil is de-energized, the magnetic force decays, thereby allowing the armature and the valve member to re-couple.

Decoupled valve assembly and fuel injector using same

A common rail fuel injector includes a needle valve member that moves to open and close nozzle outlets for a fuel injection event responsive to pressure in a needle control chamber. Between injection events, the needle control chamber is fluidly connected to the fuel inlet by a first pathway that includes a Z orifice, and fluidly connected to the fuel inlet by a second pathway that includes an F orifice, an intermediate chamber and an A orifice. During an injection event, the needle control chamber is fluidly connected to a drain outlet by a third pathway that includes the A orifice, the intermediate chamber and an E orifice. Different performance characteristics are achieved by adjusting the sizes of the respective of F, A, Z and E orifices.

Fuel injector with needle control system that includes F, A, Z and E orifices

A metallic fuel system component includes an internal surface and an external surface. The metallic fuel system component is made by inducing compressive residual stress in only a portion of the internal surface of the metallic fuel system component by transmitting a laser shock wave through the metallic fuel system component from the external surface to the internal surface.

Indirect laser induced residual stress in a fuel system component and fuel system using same

A fuel injector and a method of assembly includes a determination of various flow areas through clearances or openings formed in various components of the injector. With the various flow areas determined, the various components can be classified according to their flow areas such that sets of components can be selected having desirable flow area characteristics for assembly of the fuel injector.

Fuel injector and method of assembly therefor

A solenoid actuator includes a hard guide piece and a soft flux piece. The hard guide piece has a stop surface ground to create a final air gap distance between the soft flux piece and a stator assembly when the stop surface on the guide piece is in contact with the stator assembly. The final air gap is set by grinding the stop surface on the guide piece so that the distance between the stop surface on the guide piece and a top surface on the soft flux piece along an axis of the guide bore is equal to the final air gap. The step of grinding the armature assembly may be done after attaching the guide piece and the flux piece together. In an exemplary embodiment, the step of grinding the stop surface and associated guide surface(s) are performed in a single chucking.

Precision ground armature assembly for solenoid actuator and fuel injector using same

A fuel injector for a common rail fuel system includes a common rail inlet port fluidly connected to a high pressure common rail, and a cooling inlet fluidly connected to an output from a lower pressure fuel transfer pump. The cooling fluid circulates internally through the fuel injector to cool a single pole solenoid via both internal and peripheral cooling passages. In order to accommodate a small spatial envelope while providing superior performance, a thin insulating layer may separate the solenoid coil winding from an inner pole piece, and small flux gap clearances may permit a flux carrying portion of the injector body to be a portion of the single pole solenoid assembly.

Stator assembly and fuel injector using same

A fuel system includes a plurality of fuel injectors fluidly connected to a common rail. Each of the fuel injectors has at least one body component and includes an intensifier control valve for controlling movement of an intensifier piston, a needle control valve for controlling movement of a needle valve member, and exactly one electrical actuator coupled with the intensifier control valve and the needle control valve via a coupling linkage. The intensifier control valve and the needle control valve each include a valve member that is movable with respect to a valve seat. The electrical actuator includes an intermediate position during which the valve member of one of the intensifier control valve and the needle control valve is in contact with the respective valve seat, and the valve member of the other of the intensifier control valve and the needle control valve is out of contact with the respective valve seat.

Two wire intensified common rail fuel system

A valve assembly is disclosed. The valve assembly has a housing having a first recess disposed on an interior surface of the housing and at least one valve-supporting element disposed within the housing. The valve assembly also has a washer disposed within the housing, the washer having a first washer surface and a projection for transferring torque. The first washer surface abuts against a first valve-supporting element surface of the at least one valve-supporting element and the projection is received in the first recess. The valve assembly also has a first fastener disposed within the housing and having a first fastener surface abutting against a second washer surface of the washer.

Valve assembly having a washer

A fuel injector includes a body piece that defines a nozzle supply passage and a chamber in fluid communication therewith and configured to contain a fluid pressure within the fuel injector. The body piece has a threaded segment and a second, unthreaded segment that includes an outer surface of the fuel injector. A tip piece is clamped via a clamping piece to the body piece to form a fluid seal therewith, and a needle check extends within the body piece and the tip piece. The body piece is configured to contain fluid pressures, for example up to and exceeding 200 MPa, and has a wall thickness between the chamber and the unthreaded segment that is linked to a fluid pressure of fuel passing through the chamber. The fuel injector is configured via integrating portions of a nozzle case and a body guide to contain the extremely high fuel pressures.

Growing community of inventors

Edwards, IL, United States of America

Avinash Reddy Manubolu