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US 12,669,104 B2Granted
Fuel injector and valve assembly for the same
AssigneeCummins Inc.
InventorsSandip V. Patil, Dilip Thorat, Amol Jagannath Bobade
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel injector for fuel is provided. The fuel injector includes a valve assembly with an actuator and a valve coupled to the actuator. The valve includes a valve seat and a plunger radially sealed to the valve seat and movable in the valve seat to selectively open and close an inlet extending through a sidewall of the valve seat.
Claims17
A fuel injector for providing fuel to a prime mover, the fuel injector comprising:
- an elongated injector body defining a longitudinally extending passage therein, the passage extending in a distal direction from a first end to a gas outlet end of the injector body;
- and
- a valve assembly mounted to the injector body, the valve assembly including an actuator and a valve, wherein the valve is selectively opened and closed by the actuator to control fuel flow from the valve to the prime mover, wherein the valve includes:
- a valve seat in the passage of the injector body, the valve seat including an elongated seat body defining a longitudinally extending bore, the seat body further defining an inlet extending radially through the seat body in fluid communication with the bore, the bore having a distal opening for fuel flow from the inlet to exit the valve;
- and
- a plunger coupled to the actuator and extending into the bore of the seat body of the valve seat, wherein the plunger is longitudinally movable in the bore via the actuator between an open position and a closed position, wherein the plunger includes a first seal extending around the plunger and a second seal extending around the plunger that is spaced longitudinally from the first seal, and in the open position the first seal and the second seal are both located proximally of the inlet of the seat body in sealing engagement with the seat body of the valve seat to permit fuel flow from the inlet into the bore and through the distal opening, and in the closed position the first seal is located proximally of the inlet in sealing engagement with the seat body of the valve seat and the second seal is located distally of the inlet in sealing engagement with seat body of the valve seat to prevent fuel flow from the inlet into the bore.
3 more elements
A valve assembly for a fuel injector to selectively provide fuel flow from the fuel injector, the valve assembly comprising:
- an actuator;
- and
- a valve including a valve seat and a plunger, the valve seat includes an elongated seat body having a sidewall defining a longitudinal bore extending through the valve seat, the plunger at least partially within a bore of the valve seat, the bore having a distal opening for fuel flow to exit the valve, wherein:
- the plunger of the valve is coupled to the actuator;
- the plunger is longitudinally movable by the actuator to selectively open an inlet in the valve seat to provide the fuel flow from the fuel injector and to close the inlet in the valve seat to stop the fuel flow from the fuel injector, the inlet extending radially through the sidewall in fluid communication with the bore;
- and
- in the open position the plunger includes a radial seal that sealingly engages the valve seat at a first location proximal of the inlet to permit fuel flow from the inlet into the bore and through the distal opening of the bore of the valve seat and in the closed position the radial seal of the plunger sealing engages the valve seat at a second location distal of the inlet to prevent fuel flow from the inlet into the bore;
- the radial seal is a lip seal that extends around an outer surface of the plunger, the lip seal having an open side that is oriented in a distal direction, the lip seal having legs of unequal length with a longer leg of the lip seal engaged to the plunger and a shorter leg of the lip seal capable of flexing relative to the longer leg to contact the valve seat;
- the end member of the plunger includes an annular seal extending around the end member at a location spaced proximally of the radial seal;
- and
- the annular seal is proximal of the inlet in both the open position and the closed position of the plunger.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.