Siemens Automotive Corporation

Siemens-bendix Automotive Electronics Limited

Randall M Mahnke

Michael Joseph Hornby

Barry S Robinson

The fuel pressure regulator has a new and unique means for integrating the filter screen and axially capturing one of two O-rings seals. A crimp and a shoulder on the outlet tube unite the outlet tube, the housing, and a washer that in one embodiment performs both the function of sandwiching the filter screen between itself and the wall of the housing through which the outlet tube passes and the function of cooperating with the housing in defining the groove which captures one of the two O-ring seals. The invention offers meaningful improvements in both manufacturing and cost.

Fuel pressure regulator

Fuel rail assemblies for supplying fuel to injectors of internal combustion engines include mounting structure to integrally mount a fuel pressure regulator. An annular chamber, in fluid communication with the fuel passageway of the fuel rail, is defined between a mounting section of the fuel rail and a lower housing portion of the regulator. Apertures in the lower fuel rail housing portion thus allow fuel to flow into the regulating chamber of the fuel regulator from the defined annular chamber. In some preferred embodiments, the integral mounting structure includes a mounting cup having an upper cup section and a lower tail section for receiving a fuel pressure regulating and thus regulate upstream fuel pressure within the fuel rails. Fluid communication is established between the fuel rail and the cup section of the mounting cup while fluid isolation between the cup and tail sections of the mounting cup is established by suitable seal structures. Thus, fuel enters the cup section from the fuel rail and is forced to flow through the fuel pressure regulator by virtue of the fluid isolation established between the cup and tail sections.

Automotive fuel rail assemblies with integral means for mounting fuel

Fuel rail assemblies include a tubular fuel rail for supplying fuel to a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine. Rigid conduits are coupled to the fuel rail so as to allow relative rotational movements therebetween and thus permit, during production, the correction of any angular mismatch between the injectors and the engine with which the injectors are to be associated. A longitudinally extending, lateral ledge may be provided so as to support a clip which retains the injectors in the fuel rail assembly during production. Countercurrent flow within some embodiments of the fuel rail assemblies is provided by positioning an inner conduit within an outer conduit so as to establish therebetween a fuel flow passageway. Thus, the supply and discharge nipples for the fuel rail may be provided in close physical relationship with one another and thereby more easily facilitate their interconnection to a vehicle's fuel system during production.

Fuel rail assemblies for internal combustion engines

Fuel rail assemblies for supplying fuel to injectors of internal combustion engines include mounting structure to integrally mount a fuel pressure regulator. An annular chamber, in fluid communication with the fuel passageway of the fuel rail, is defined between a mounting section of the fuel rail and a lower housing portion of the regulator. Apertures in the lower fuel rail housing portion thus allow fuel to flow into the regulating chamber of the fuel regulator from the defined annular chamber. In some preferred embodiments, the integral mounting structure includes a mounting cup having an upper cup section and a lower tail section for receiving a fuel pressure regulator and thus regulating upstream fuel pressure within the fuel rails. Fluid communication is established between the fuel rail and the cup section of the mounting cup while fluid isolation between the cup and tail sections of the mounting cup is established by suitable seal structures. Thus, fuel enters the cup section from the fuel rail and is forced to flow through the fuel pressure regulator by virtue of the fluid isolation established between the cup and tail sections.

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Newport News, VA, United States of America

Randall M Mahnke