Gas and liquid contact apparatus – Contact devices – Atomizer type
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-24
2004-11-23
Chiesa, Richard L. (Department: 1724)
Gas and liquid contact apparatus
Contact devices
Atomizer type
C123S549000, C261S079100, C261S112100, C261S153000, C261S156000, C261SDIG002, C261SDIG003, C261SDIG008
Reexamination Certificate
active
06820864
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fuel supply technique for ensuring excellent combustion of fuel in the internal combustion engine of an automobile.
The present invention relates to a fuel carburetion accelerator for accelerating the carburetion of fuel supplied to an automobile internal combustion engine, which fuel carburetion accelerator can be applied to both the type of combustion engine in which fuel is injected to the air suction ports of each cylinder, and the type of combustion engine in which fuel is injected directly to each cylinder.
To improve the startability of an internal combustion engine, reduce the fuel costs, to purify the exhaust gas and reduce HC gas in purification of the exhaust gas, it is effective to reduce the deposition of fuel on the inner wall surface of an intake manifold by atomizing and vaporizing the fuel spray injected by a fuel injection valve (injector). Further, fuel stabilization is provided by feeding fuel after the atomization and vaporization thereof.
One known way of feeding atomized and vaporized fuel is by installing a fuel injection valve (injector) for use on a supplementary basis mainly when starting the internal combustion engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,832 discloses a cold start fuel control system comprising a cold start fuel injector, a heater, and an idle speed control valve (hereinafter referred to as an “ISC valve”). In this system, a swirl is applied to the fuel spray injected by a fuel injection valve that is arranged on the downstream side of the ISC valve of the internal combustion engine so as to be introduced downstream of the air sucked through the ISC valve, thereby promoting a mixing between them. At the same time, the gas mixture for which mixing is promoted is caused to impact against a heater installed on the downstream side of the fuel injection valve, so that the gas mixture is heated and vaporized, thereby reducing the amount of fuel deposited on the inner surface of the intake manifold.
In the above-described system, fuel spray is made to impact on a heater arranged on the downstream side of the fuel injection valve, and vaporization of the fuel spray is promoted by the heat generated by this heater. However, this method is not always sufficient for improvement of fuel spray vaporization.
Such a known type of fuel carburetion accelerator is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,023. This fuel control system has a fuel injection valve, heaters, and an idle speed control valve (ISC valve). For this system, a portion of the air from the ISC valve (namely, a first air current) is mixed with the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve. For this purpose, the hole in the air channel from the ISC valve is provided cyclically around the outlet portion of the fuel injection valve. Immediately after the fuel from the fuel injection valve and the first air current have been mixed, this mixture is fed into an array of cylindrical heaters located downstream at the fuel injection valve. An air channel through which a portion of the air from the ISC valve is to flow is formed on the inner surface of each heater; and, at the outlet of the heater, the air that flows in through this air channel (namely, the second air current) is mixed with the injected fuel that flows in through the inside of the heater. The carburetion of the fuel which has been injected from the fuel injection valve is accelerated during passage through the heater, and, then the carburetion of the fuel is further accelerated when mixed with the second air current at the outlet of the heater.
The conventional system described above has a structure in which the fuel injection valve, the confluent point between the fuel from the fuel injection valve and the first air current, and the mixing chamber provided inside the heaters to mix the fuel and the second air current, are arranged in that order from the upstream side in sequence, and the carburized fuel is directly introduced from the heater outlet into the main air channel.
For a conventional system of such structure, the flow of air along the inner wall surface of the heater becomes nonuniform, and, when the fuel comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the heater, the liquid film tends to become thick in some places and thin in some places. This phenomenon induces the possibility of the fuel being introduced into the main channel without being completely carburized. And this, in turn, poses the problem that, since complete carburetion requires a heater that is greater in capacity, length, and diameter, the power consumption also increases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of vaporizing the fuel spray by use of a heater.
To attain the above-stated object, the present invention provides liquid film forming means for converting, into a thin film, the fuel sprayed to the surface of a transfer unit by a fuel injection valve. This means produces a thin layer of liquid fuel film and permits uniform dispersion of fuel, thereby improving the vaporization efficiency.
In this case, the heat transfer surface is formed to have an irregular shape, so that the heat transfer area can be expanded. This allows the heater to be downsized and installed on the throttle body and intake manifold. This also ensures easy installation of it on the engine.
In addition to the above-described means, causing air to act on the fuel spray injected from the fuel injection valve ensures effective atomization of the fuel spray and a smooth feeding of fuel in the downstream direction, and it allows fuel spray to hit the surface of the heat transfer unit uniformly, thereby ensuring formation of a thinner liquid fuel film and a more uniform distribution of the fuel.
Another object of the present invention is to ensure that the fuel comes into the inner wall surface of the heater as uniformly as possible.
A further object of the present invention is to obtain a motor-driven throttle valve equipped with a fuel carburetion accelerator which can be engine-installed with a minimum installation space.
A further object of the present invention is to obtain an air/fuel feeder that can control the flow rates of both air and a carburized fuel.
A further object of the present invention is to obtain a fuel carburetion accelerator that enables at least a portion of its body to be used as an electrode as well.
A further object of the present invention is to ensure more efficient carburetion of the supplied air-fuel mixture inside the cylindrical heater.
A further object of the present invention is to suppress the vaporization of the fuel at the fuel injection valve portion of the fuel carburetion accelerator.
In order to attain at least one of the above-stated objects, the present invention is embodied in the following configurations:
A fuel carburetion accelerator has a fuel injection element for injecting a fuel, a cylindrical inner-walled heater element combined with the fuel injection element to carburize the fuel injected therefrom, a swirling air current supply element installed between the fuel injection element and the heater element to supply a swirling air current from the periphery of the fuel injected from the fuel injection element to the cylindrical inner wall surface of the heater element, and an enclosure that holds the fuel injection element, heater element, and swirling air current supply element. The swirling air current supply element is further equipped with a plurality of blade members for introducing an air current in their radial direction from outside towards the inside and for generating a swirling flow of air around the injected fuel.
A fuel carburetion accelerator has a heater element having a cylindrical inner wall surface for guiding an air-fuel mixture, a swirling air current supply element installed at the end of one side of the heater element to induce a swirling air current along the cylindrical inner wall surface, and a fuel injection element for injecting fuel to the heater element.
A fuel carburetion accelerator has an air guide
Amou Kiyoshi
Ichihara Takanobu
Kadomukai Yuzo
Nagano Masami
Saeki Hiroaki
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Chiesa Richard L.
LandOfFree
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