Method of purging fluid injector by heating
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsGlenn Brian Cox, James Richard Weber, Orhan Altin, Roger Leroy Urven, Jr., Andrew John Kieser, Justin Werner McMenamy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid injector for use in an exhaust treatment system is disclosed. The fluid injector may have a nozzle portion, a heater associated with the nozzle portion, and a controller in communication with the heater. The controller may be configured to recognize a condition triggering a purge event of the fluid injector. The controller may also be configured to activate the heater to purge the fluid injector in response to the recognized condition.
Claims23
A fluid injector for an exhaust treatment system, comprising:
- a nozzle portion;
- a heater associated with the nozzle portion;
- a spark plug associated with the nozzle portion;
- a timer;
- and
- a controller in communication with the spark plug, the timer, and the heater, the controller being configured to:
- activate the spark plug during a regeneration event;
- recognize a condition triggering a purge event of the fluid injector;
- and
- activate the heater to purge the fluid injector in response to the recognized condition, wherein the condition is a predetermined period of time having elapsed since a previous purge event, the controller being configured to communicate with the timer and activate the heater to purge the fluid injector when the predetermined period of time has elapsed since the previous purge event.
A method for purging a fluid injector for use in an exhaust treatment system, comprising:
- activating the fluid injector to perform a regeneration event;
- recognizing at least one condition triggering a purge event of the fluid injector in the exhaust treatment system, wherein recognizing at least one condition includes recognizing a completion of an injection event indicating completion of the regeneration event;
- and
- heating the fluid injector to purge fluid or buildup from the fluid injector in response to the at least one recognized condition.
An exhaust treatment system, comprising:
- a power unit that creates exhaust;
- a passageway configured to receive the exhaust;
- a fluid injector configured to inject fluid into the exhaust to achieve a regeneration event;
- a heater associated with a fluid injecting end of the fluid injector;
- and
- a controller in communication with the heater, the controller being configured to:
- recognize a condition triggering a purge event of the fluid injector;
- and
- activate the heater to purge fluid or buildup from the fluid injector in response to the recognized condition, wherein recognizing a condition includes recognizing a completion of an injection event indicating completion of the regeneration event, wherein the controller is configured to activate the heater prior to a next regeneration event such that the time until the next regeneration event is greater than a predetermined period of time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.