Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Fluid pressure responsive discharge modifier* or flow... – Fuel injector or burner
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-16
2004-03-23
Evans, Robin O. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Fluid pressure responsive discharge modifier* or flow...
Fuel injector or burner
C239S533300, C239S533140, C239S596000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06708904
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluid injection nozzles that serve to control the flow of a fluid, and in particular to fluid injection nozzles that are adapted to atomize a liquid supplied from a fluid injection valve. The present invention also relates to fluid injectors having such fluid injection nozzles. Such fluid injection nozzles and fluid injectors may be, e.g., utilized within internal combustion engines for vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-200998 teaches a fuel injection nozzle as shown in
FIG. 7
, which shows a cross-sectional view of a part of the fuel injection nozzle, and
FIG. 8
, which shows a broken-away plan view of the known fuel injection nozzle.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, a fuel injection valve
101
includes a valve seat
103
and a movable valve
104
. The valve seat
103
includes a valve seat surface
103
a
and an injection hole (port)
103
b
. The valve seat surface
103
a
is formed on an inner wall or surface of a fuel flow channel. The injection hole
103
b
is disposed on the downstream side of the valve seat surface
103
a
. The valve
104
includes a contact surface
104
a
that is designed to contact the valve seat surface
103
a.
The fuel injection valve
101
is operable to selectively exhaust fuel via the injection hole
103
b
when the contact surface
104
a
of the valve
104
moves away from the valve seat surface
103
a
of the valve seat
103
(valve opening operation). On the other hand, fuel injection stops when the contact surface
104
a
of the valve
104
contacts and seals the valve seat surface
103
a
of the valve seat
103
(valve closing operation).
A fuel injection nozzle
105
is disposed on the bottom or downstream surface of the valve seat
103
and includes upper and lower plate members
151
,
153
. The upper plate member
151
is disposed so as to contact the bottom surface of the valve seat
103
and includes eight inlet holes
151
a
(see
FIG. 8
) that extend through the upper plate member
151
.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, the lower plate member
153
is mounted on the valve seat
103
, such that it is disposed on the downstream side (lower side as viewed in
FIG. 7
) of the upper plate
151
. A recess
153
b
is formed on the upstream side of the lower plate member
153
. The recess
153
b
cooperates with a downstream side surface of the upper plate member
151
and defines a substantially circular fuel chamber
155
between the upper and lower plate members
151
,
153
. As shown in
FIG. 8
, the lower plate member
153
includes four outlet holes
153
a
(see
FIG. 8
) that extend through the lower plate member
153
.
According to the known fuel injection nozzle
105
described above, when the fuel injection valve
101
opens, pressurized fuel is forced through the injection hole
103
a
of the valve seat
103
. The fuel then flows through the inlet holes
151
a
of the upper plate member
151
, through the fuel chamber
155
and then is exhausted through the outlet holes
153
a.
Therefore, according to the known fuel injection nozzle
105
, the fuel flows into the fuel chamber
155
from the inlet holes
151
a
of the upper plate member
151
and then flows horizontally within the fuel chamber
155
along the recess
153
b
. However, because the inlet holes
151
a
and the outlet holes
153
a
are not aligned with each other, the fuel flows into each outlet hole
153
a
from all directions. Because the outlet holes
153
a
are inclined relative to the bottom of the recess
153
b
, the angle of the fuel flow that enters the respective outlet holes
153
a
varies in response to the direction of the fuel flow within the recess
153
b
. If an increased amount of fuel flows at an obtuse angle relative to the outlet holes
153
, the fuel flow will stabilize, thereby generating atomized fuel particles having relatively large diameters. Because small diameter fuel particles are desired, this known design is disadvantageous.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, accordingly, one object of the present invention to teach improved fluid injection nozzles and fluid injection valves that can reliably generate relatively small diameter fuel particles.
According to one aspect of the present teachings, fluid injection nozzles are taught that are arranged and constructed to be mounted on a fluid injector in order to control the flow of a fluid exhausted through an injection hole of the fluid injector. The fluid injection nozzle may include at least one nozzle hole that has an inlet hole, an intermediate hole and an outlet hole. The combination of the inlet hole, the intermediate hole and the outlet hole serves to provide a step-wise control of the flow of the fluid ejected from the injection hole, which preferably serves to atomize the fluid passing through the nozzle hole. The intermediate hole may have a longitudinal axis that extends substantially perpendicularly with respect to a nozzle axis. Further, the intermediate hole may include a first terminal end that communicates with the inlet hole and a second terminal end that communicates the outlet hole. In addition, the intermediate hole may preferably have a substantially uniform width along substantially the entire length of the longitudinal axis. The outlet hole may have a central axis that is displaced from the longitudinal axis of the intermediate hole, such that the central axis and the longitudinal axis do not intersect.
If the fluid flows through the intermediate hole, which intermediate hole has a longitudinal axis that extends substantially perpendicularly with the nozzle axis and has a substantially uniform width along substantially the entire length in the longitudinal axis, direction may be imparted to the fluid flow along the longitudinal direction of the intermediate hole. In other words, the direction of the fluid flow within the intermediate hole may preferably substantially align with the longitudinal axis of the intermediate hole. In addition, if the outlet hole has a central axis that is displaced from the longitudinal axis of the intermediate hole, the center of the fluid flow stream preferably does not turn in the exact opposite direction at the second terminal end of the intermediate hole. As a result backward flow within the intermediate hole can be prevented.
Due to a multiplied or amplified atomization effect imparted to the fluid by causing the fluid to flow along the longitudinal direction of the intermediate hole and preventing backward flow at the second terminal end of the intermediate hole by displacing the central axis of the outlet hole from the longitudinal axis of the intermediate hole, the fluid can be more effectively atomized than in the above-described known injector nozzle.
Preferably, an edge defining an acute angle is formed in the fluid nozzle at a portion of a periphery of the outlet hole that is adjacent to the intermediate hole and is displaced or separated from the second terminal end of the intermediate hole. Therefore, the fluid that has flowed through the intermediate hole enters into the outlet hole and the direction of the flow will abruptly change by an angle of more than 90°. As a result, the flow of fluid may be effectively bubbled or burbled so as to improve the atomizing effect.
Optionally, the nozzle may include three plate members that are overlaid, or disposed substantially in parallel, with each other. For example, a first plate member may include the inlet hole, a second plate member may include the intermediate hole and a third plate member may include the outlet hole. This design can be utilized to easily and relatively cheaply manufacture a nozzle hole having three holes that are not aligned with each other. However, the three non-aligned holes also may be defined within a single plate or plate member, or within two plate members or plates.
In the present specification, the terms “nozzle hole,” “inlet hole,” “intermediate hole,” and “outlet hole” may be replaced (or used interchangeably) with “nozzle passage,” “i
Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Dennison Schultz Dougherty & MacDonald
Evans Robin O.
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