Fuel system for a direct injection engine

I. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to direct injection internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to a fuel system for such engines which reduces the stress imposed on the fuel system components.

II. Description of Related Art

Direct injection internal combustion engines are becoming increasingly popular in the automotive industry due in large part to their high efficiency and fuel economy. In such a direct injection engine, at least one fuel injector is mounted in a bore formed in the engine block which is open directly to the internal combustion chamber. A high pressure fuel rail is coupled to the fuel injector which, when open under control of the engine control unit, injects fuel directly into the internal combustion engine.

Since the injectors of the direct injection engine are open directly to the internal combustion chamber, the fuel in the fuel rails must necessarily be maintained at a relatively high pressure. Typically, a cam driven piston pump is used to pressurize the fuel rail.

One disadvantage of direct injection internal combustion engines, however, is that the fuel system components move slightly relative to each other in response to the high pressure fuel injection pulses and pump pulses. This, in turn, imparts stress on the fuel system components which can result in cracking or other component failure.

The present invention provides a device for reducing movement of the fuel rails in a direct injection fuel engine thereby reducing mechanical stress on those components.

In brief, the present invention provides several different approaches for reducing movement of the fuel rail in the fuel system. In one embodiment of the invention, a clamp extends across and is secured to both side by side fuel rails. By clamping the rails together, movement of the rails relative to the other fuel system components is reduced. Furthermore, the fuel rails may be either rigidly clamped together or may be resiliently clamped together with an elastomeric member.

In another form of the invention, a moving mass is attached to the fuel rails with a resilient member. Consequently, movement of the moving mass opposes any movement of the rails thus effectively canceling the movement of the rails during operation of the fuel system.

In still another embodiment of the invention, a flexible fluid conduit fluidly connects the fuel rails to the fuel injectors. This flexible fluid conduit thus reduces or altogether eliminates movement of the fuel rails caused by movement of the fuel injectors.

A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a prior art diagrammatic view of a direct injection internal combustion engine;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic end view illustrating a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3 - 3 in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 , but illustrating a modification thereof;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5 - 5 in FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 , but illustrating a modification thereof;

FIG. 7 is a view taken along line 7 - 7 in FIG. 6 ;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 2 , but illustrating a modification thereof;

FIG. 9 is a view taken along line 9 - 9 in FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 2 , but illustrating a modification thereof;

FIG. 11 is an exploded fragmentary top view of the fuel rails of FIG. 10 ;

FIG. 12 is a view taken substantially along line 12 - 12 in FIG. 10 ;

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 2 , but illustrating a modification thereof;

FIG. 14 is a view taken along line 14 - 14 in FIG. 13 ;

FIG. 15 is a side view illustrating a further embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 16 is a view taken along line 16 - 16 in FIG. 15 .

With reference first to FIG. 1 , a portion of a prior art direct injection internal combustion engine 20 is shown diagrammatically. The engine 20 includes an engine block 22 having a plurality of engine combustion chambers 24 in which pistons (not shown) are reciprocally mounted.

At least one fuel injector 26 is associated with each combustion chamber 24 . Each fuel injector 26 is positioned within a fuel injector bore 28 formed in the engine block 22 which is open to the combustion chambers 24 . Each fuel injector 26 , furthermore, is then fluidly coupled to a fuel rail 30 having an internal fuel chamber 32 . A high pressure fuel pump (not shown) provides pressurized fuel to the fuel rail chambers 32 which, in turn, supply that pressurized fuel to the injectors 26 . Furthermore, the fuel injectors illustrated in FIG. 1 are for a V engine in which two fuel rails 30 are positioned side by side each other.

Typically, the fuel injectors 26 are rigidly secured to their associated fuel rail 30 . Upon each injection of fuel, the fuel injector 26 moves slightly away from the combustion chamber 24 which causes a like movement in its associated fuel rail 30 . Such movement of the fuel rail 30 in turn imparts mechanical stress on the fuel system components.

With reference now to FIGS. 2 and 3 , in order to reduce the movement of the fuel rails 30 relative to the engine block, a V-shaped clamp 40 extends between and is attached to each fuel rail 30 by fasteners 42 FIG. 3 ). Any conventional fastener 42 may be used to secure the clamp 40 to the fuel rails 30 . Alternatively, the clamp 40 may be fixedly secured to the fuel rails 30 by welding or the like.

A moving mass 44 is also secured to the clamp 40 by a resilient member or spring 46 . The resilient member 46 allows the moving mass 44 to move relative to the clamp 40 and thus relative to the fuel rails 30 .

In operation, as the fuel injectors impart movement to their associated fuel rails 30 , the moving mass 44 moves thus effectively canceling any movement of the fuel rails 30 . Furthermore, the clamp 40 itself alone reduces movement of the fuel rails 30 during operation of the internal combustion engine.

Although two fuel rails 30 are indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3 , it will be understood, of course, that the moving mass 44 may also be used with a single fuel rail. In such a system, the moving mass 44 offsets or cancels movement of the fuel rail during operation of the engine.

With reference now to FIGS. 4 and 5 , a still further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in which a clamp 50 extends around both fuel rails 30 and secures the fuel rails 30 together against movement. Although the clamp 50 may take any form, as shown the clamp 50 includes a top half 52 and a bottom half 54 which, together, encircle the fuel rails 30 . These clamp halves 52 and 54 are secured together by fasteners 56 which may be any conventional fastener, such as a bolt and nut.

In practice, the clamp 50 , by rigidly securing the fuel rails 30 together, reduces movement of the fuel rails 30 and the resultant mechanical stress on the fuel system components from such movement.

With reference now to FIGS. 6 and 7 , a still further embodiment of the present invention is shown in which an elongated clamp 60 in the form of a strap has one end 62 rigidly secured to one fuel rail 30 in any conventional manner, such as by soldering. A second end 64 of the clamp 60 is then secured to the other fuel rail 30 by a fastener 66 which sandwiches an elastomeric resilient member 68 in between the fastener 66 and the fuel rail 30 . In practice, the elastomeric dampener 68 dampens vibrations and movement of the fuel rails 30 .

With reference now to FIGS. 8 and 9 , a still further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in which an elongated resilient dampener 70 extends between the two fuel rails 30 . A fastener 72 secures one end of the dampener 70 to one fuel rail 30 while a second fastener 74 secures the other end of the dampener 70 to the other fuel rail 30 . For example, the fastener 72 may comprise a bolt extending through the dampener 70 while the second fastener 74 is a nut that threadably engages the fastener 72 . The fastener 72 also extends through a bolt stop 76 mounted to each fuel rail 30 .

In practice, the dampener 70 dampens vibrations of the fuel rails 30 in a lateral direction as indicated by arrows 78 in FIG. 9 . By dampening the relative movement of the fuel rails 30 relative to each other, the dampener 70 effectively reduces movement of the fuel rail and likewise reduces component stress resulting from that movement.

With reference now to FIGS. 10-12 , a still further embodiment of the present invention is shown in which a clamp 80 having two clamp sections 82 and 84 is provided to minimize movement of the fuel rails 30 . Each clamp section 82 and 84 includes a recess 86 which corresponds in shape to a portion of the ends 88 of the fuel rails 30 .

Consequently, as best shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 , with the clamp sections 82 and 84 positioned around the ends 88 of the fuel rails 30 , a fastener 90 secures the clamp sections 82 and 84 together while simultaneously compressing the clamp sections 82 and 84 around the ends 88 of the fuel rails 30 . In doing so, the fuel rails 30 are rigidly secured together against movement thus reducing mechanical stress on the fuel system components.

With reference now to FIGS. 13 and 14 , a still her embodiment of the present invention is shown in which a generally V-shaped clamp 100 extends between and is secured to both fuel rails 30 . Any conventional means, such as fasteners, solder or the like, may be used to secure the clamp 100 rigidly to the fuel rails 30 .

A resilient member 102 , preferably constructed of an elastomeric material, is disposed across the top of the clamp 100 . A moving mass 104 is then positioned within the resilient member 102 so that the resilient member 102 is sandwiched in between the moving mass 104 and the clamp 100 .

In operation, the resilient member 102 allows the moving mass 104 to move slightly relative to the fuel rails 30 . The moving mass 104 , by moving, dampens the movement of the rails 30 and reduces component stress.

With reference now to FIGS. 15 and 16 , a still further embodiment of the present invention is shown in which the fuel injector 26 is fluidly connected to its associated fuel rail 30 by a flexible fluid conduit 110 . The fluid conduit 110 may be in the shape of a flexible bellows although other shapes may alternatively be used. In operation, movement of the fuel injector 26 in response to a fuel injection by the injector 26 merely causes the fluid conduit 110 to flex, thus isolating any vibration of the fuel injector 26 from the fuel rail 30 . In doing so, movement of the fuel rail 30 is greatly reduced, if not altogether eliminated, thus reducing mechanical stress caused by movement of the fuel rail 30 .

Still referring to FIGS. 15 and 16 , since the fuel injector 26 is no longer rigidly connected to the fuel rail 30 , it is preferable to secure the fuel injector 26 to the engine block 20 against movement. Although various means may be used to secure the fuel injector 26 to the engine block 20 , as illustrated in FIG. 15 , a locator 120 is externally threaded and includes a radially inwardly projecting tab 122 . The locator 120 is preferably made of a non-metallic material to eliminate metal-to-metal contact between the injector 26 and the engine block 20 to dampen noise. With the fuel injector 26 positioned within the bore 28 of the engine block, the tab 122 of the locator 120 registers with a notch 124 in the fuel injector 26 . The cooperation between the locator tab 122 and the notch 124 prevents rotational or twisting movement of the fuel injector 26 relative to the locator 120 .

In order to secure the locator 120 to the engine block, the injector bore 28 includes an internally threaded portion 126 at its outer end. Consequently, by threadably securing the locator to the engine block 20 , the locator 120 simply, but effectively, locks the fuel injector 26 against axial movement relative to the engine block.

Alternatively, the fuel injector 26 can be made of a non-metallic material with the threads to engage the thread portion 126 on the engine block formed integrally on the fuel injector 26 .

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention provides several different devices for reducing, or altogether eliminating, movement of the fuel rail relative to the engine block. Stress on the fuel system components resulting from movement of the fuel rail relative to the engine block during operation of the internal combustion engine is substantially reduced.

Having described our invention, however, many modifications thereto will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without deviation from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.