Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Fluid pressure responsive discharge modifier* or flow... – Fuel injector or burner
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-07
2001-01-09
Kashnikow, Andres (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Fluid pressure responsive discharge modifier* or flow...
Fuel injector or burner
C239S491000, C239S494000, C239S584000, C239S585100, C239S590000, C239S596000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170764
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fuel injection valve.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
An electromagnetically operated fuel injection valve having multiple disk-shaped elements arranged in its seat area is described in German Patent No. 39 43 005. Upon excitation of a magnetic circuit, a flat valve plate acting as a flat armature lifts up from a valve seat plate situated opposite and interacting with the valve plate, together forming a plate valve part. A swirl element, which sets the fuel flowing to the valve seat in a circular rotary motion, is located upstream from the valve seat plate. A stop plate limits the axial displacement of the valve plate on the side opposite the valve seat plate. The swirl element surrounds the valve plate, leaving a large amount of clearance; the swirl element thus guides the valve plate to a certain degree. At the lower end of the swirl element several tangential grooves provided that begin at the outer circumference and extend all the way to a central swirl chamber. When the lower end of the swirl element lies against the valve seat plate, the grooves become swirl channels.
A fuel injection valve having a multi-disk atomizing attachment with a swirl conditioning element located at its downstream end is described in International Patent Publication No. WO 96/11335. This atomizing attachment is provided downstream from a disk-shaped guide element built into a valve seat carrier and from a valve seat also located on the valve carrier, with an additional supporting element holding the atomizing attachment in a defined position. The atomizing attachment is designed in two-disk and four-disk versions, with the individual disks being made of stainless steel or silicon. Likewise, conventional machining methods such as erosion, punching, and etching are used in producing the geometries of the openings in the disks. Each individual disk of the atomizing attachment is produced separately, after which all disks of the same size are stacked on top of one another to form the complete atomizing attachment, depending on the desired number of disks.
The multilayer electroplating method for producing perforated disks that are especially well suited for use in fuel injection valves have been described in detail in German Patent Application No. 196 07 288. This principle for manufacturing disks by electrodepositing different structures in multiple layers, thus forming a one-piece disk, is expressly included in the content of the disclosure of the present invention. Microelectroplating in layers, strata and levels is also used for producing the atomizer disks used here and installed according to the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The fuel injection valve according to the present invention has the advantage that it can be used to achieve a very high atomization quality of a fuel to be injected as well as a highly variable jet or spray pattern that can be adapted to the relevant requirements (such as mounting arrangements, engine configurations, cylinder shapes, and spark plug position). Consequently, the use of atomizer disks that can be very easily inserted into the fuel injection valve makes it possible, among other things, to reduce the exhaust emissions of internal combustion engines equipped with fuel injection valves of this type and also to lower fuel consumption.
The atomizer disk is produced in a very advantageous manner by multilayer electroplating. Because they are made of metal, the atomizer disks are highly resistant to breaking, can be easily mounted, and, because of the specific design of their topmost layer, can be easily attached to the fuel injection valve. Mounting the atomizer disk in a precisely defined position on the fuel injection valve has been especially simplified. The use of multilayer electroplating permits a very large amount of design flexibility because the contours of the opening areas (inlet areas, inflow areas, swirl channels, and swirl chamber) in the atomizer disk can be freely selected. Particularly in comparison with the production of silicon disks, whose contours are strictly limited due to the crystallographic axes (truncated pyramids), this flexible design capability is advantageous.
Electrodeposition has the advantage, particularly in comparison to the production of silicon disks, that a wide variety of materials can be used. The many different metals with their various magnetic characteristics and hardnesses can be used in the microelectroplating method employed to produce the atomizer disks.
It is advantageous to design the atomizer disk in the form of a swirl disk. It is particularly advantageous to construct the swirl disk, which includes three layers, by performing three electroplating steps. The upstream layer forms a spacing layer, which is followed, in the downstream direction, by an inflow layer that completely covers the swirl chamber of a lower swirling layer. The swirling layer is formed by one or more areas of material that are shaped and positioned geometrically toward one another so that they define the contours of the swirl chamber and swirl channels. The electroplating process deposits the individual layers onto one another without any seams or joints so that they form a continuous, homogeneous material. In this respect, the term “layers” serves only as a conceptual aid.
Two, three, four or six swirl channels are advantageously provided in the swirl disk. The material areas can have very different shapes, depending on the desired contours of the swirl channels; for example they can form a web or a spiral. The contours of the spacing layer and the swirl chamber can also advantageously have a flexible design.
To provide a simple attachment method, it is particularly advantageous to clamp the atomizer disk between the valve seat body of the valve and a holding element. The holding element is suitably designed in the shape of a cup and has a circumferential jacket section and a base section. While the base section supports the atomizer disk and allows the disk to be pressed against the valve seat body, the jacket section fixes the holding element in place on the valve seat body, for example via a weld seam.
Further advantages are explained in greater detail below in the description of the embodiments.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4040396 (1977-08-01), Hitoshi
patent: 5484108 (1996-01-01), Nally
patent: 5685491 (1997-11-01), Marks et al.
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patent: 5899390 (1999-05-01), Arndt et al.
patent: 5921474 (1999-07-01), Zimmermann et al.
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patent: 39 43 005 (1990-07-01), None
patent: 196 07 277 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 196 07 288 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 96 11335 (1996-04-01), None
Dantes G{umlaut over (u)}nter
Heyse Jorg
M{umlaut over (u)}ller Martin
Ganey Steven J.
Kashnikow Andres
Kenyon & Kenyon
Robert & Bosch GmbH
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