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US 7,681,558 B2Granted
System and method to control fuel vaporization
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsAllan Roy Gale, Joseph Norman Ulrey, Larry Dean Elie, Paul Raymund Nicastri, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for improving fuel heating is presented. The method can reduce system complexity and cost when fuel is heated within a fuel injector. In one embodiment, the method independently heats and injects fuel by changing the direction of current flow through a fuel circuit.
Claims18
A fuel injector for heating and injecting fuel into an internal combustion engine, said fuel injector comprising:
- an element to control flow of fuel through said fuel injector;
- a heating element to heat fuel passing through said fuel injector, said heating element separate from said element that controls fuel flow through said fuel injector;
- and
- a circuit comprising said heating element and said element that controls fuel flow through said fuel injector, said circuit heating fuel passing through said fuel injector without actuating said fuel injector when current flows in a first direction and is below a predetermined level, said circuit heating fuel passing through said fuel injector and actuating said fuel injector when current flows in said first direction and is above said predetermined level, and said circuit actuating said fuel injector without substantially heating said fuel injector when current flows to said fuel injector in a second direction, said second direction different from said first direction, wherein said actuating of said fuel injector delivers fuel from the fuel injector.
1 more element
A method to operate a fuel injector, the method comprising:
- supplying a first current in a first direction to heat fuel passing through said fuel injector without actuating said fuel injector when said first current is below a predetermined level, said first current heating fuel passing through said fuel injector and actuating said fuel injector when said current is above a predetermined level, said first current delivered at predetermined crankshaft intervals;
- and
- supplying a second current in a second direction, said second direction different from said first direction, to actuate said fuel injector without substantially heating said injector, fuel flowing through said fuel injector while current is supplied in said second direction.
A system for heating fuel supplied to an engine, comprising:
- a plurality of fuel injectors, each fuel injector of said plurality of fuel injectors comprising a flow control element, a heating element separate from said flow control element, and a circuit comprising said heating element and said element that controls fuel without actuating said fuel injector when current is in a first direction and below a predetermined level, said circuit heating fuel passing through said fuel injector and actuating said furl injector when current is in said first direction and above said predetermined level, and said circuit actuating said fuel injector without substantially heating said fuel injector when current flows to said fuel injector in a second direction, said second direction different from said first direction, wherein said actuating of said fuel injector delivers fuel from the fuel injector;
- and
- a current supply comprised of a single switch that switches, between two current sources, a first terminal of each fuel injector that comprise said plurality of fuel injectors, said current supply also comprised of a plurality or switches configured to switch a second terminal of each of said plurality of fuel injectors between said two current sources.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.