EP3025050B1

EP3025050B1 - An injector for internal combustion engines

Info

Publication number: EP3025050B1
Application number: EP14741307.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alper COMERT; Barkin ARAK; Rahman CAKIR; Veyzat GAZI; Ahmet BINGOL
Original assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Current assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Priority date: 2013-07-26
Filing date: 2014-07-18
Publication date: 2017-09-06
Anticipated expiration: 2034-07-18
Also published as: WO2015011058A1; EP3025050A1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to injectors used for injecting fuel to the combustion chamber in internal combustion engines and relates to connectors providing connection of said injector to the electronic control unit of the vehicle.

PRIOR ART

In internal combustion engines, the process of injecting fuel to the combustion chamber is realized by injectors. The controls of the operation of said injectors are realized by the electronic control unit of the vehicle. In order to provide connection of said electronic control unit and the injector, a socket connected to the electronic control unit is fixed to a connector connected to the injector. By means of the fixation of said socket to the connector, the contact of the terminals in anode and cathode position is realized.
In order to provide connection of said connectors to the injector, said terminals are disposed to the injector body and fixed to the cables by means of welding. Afterwards, a connector body is formed by means of the plastic injection method, partially encircling the injector body and which is compliant to the form of the sockets coming from the electronic control unit around the terminals. In said embodiment, the metal body of the injector is coated by plastic based material. During operation, as a result of heating occurring in the injector, metal and plastic have different thermal expansion characteristics and thus, capillary voids are formed in between. Corrosion occurs inside the injector as a result of the entry of items, like external water and environmental humidity, into said capillary voids, and thereby the injector becomes useless. Moreover, high cost lost occurs since there is no return when there is a problem in the form of the connector after plastic injection or when there is any other problem. Another problem faced in said embodiment is that production is decelerated and costs are increasing as a result of the plastic injection process. Moreover, the position of the connector body with respect to the injector body is fixed, thus, there is no flexible chance of use in different vehicle types.
In the application EP1089400 , a connector is disclosed formed of two pieces. In said embodiment, sealing is provided by joining the pieces by means of welding process.
As a result, because of all of the abovementioned problems, an improvement is required in the related technical field.
US 4 836 453 discloses a fuel injector with an electrical connector attached to the injector body by using a screw nut.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an injector having connector for use in internal combustion engines, for eliminating the above mentioned disadvantages and for bringing new advantages to the related technical field.
The main object of the present invention is to provide an injector whose corrosion resistance is increased.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an injector whose production is facilitated and whose cost is lowered.
In order to realize all of the abovementioned objects and the objects which are to be deducted from the detailed description below, the present invention is an injector having a connector connected to a socket coming from the electronic control unit of the vehicle for injecting fuel to the combustion chamber in internal combustion engines. Accordingly, said injector comprises at least one connection housing provided on said main body and at least one threaded part provided on the connector and disposed into said connection housing, for providing connection of said connector to the main body of the injector. Thus, the connector, produced on a separate line from the main body of the injector, is connected on the main body.
In a preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, at least one sealing element is provided between the connection housing and the connector. Thus, entry of foreign substances like water, humidity, dust, etc. into the main body through the joining portions of the connection and of the main body is prevented.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, said sealing element is provided on said threaded part. Thus, entry of foreign substances like water, humidity, dust, etc. between the threaded part and the connection housing is prevented.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, in order to provide electrical connection between the connector and the main body of the injector, at least one body connection end is provided inside the connection housing and correspondingly at least one connector connection end is provided at the part of the connector entering into the connection housing. Thus, electrical current passage is provided between the connector and the main body.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, at least one first end is provided at said body connection end and at least one first end is positioned so as to contact said first end on said connector connection end.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, at least one second end is provided at the body connection end and at least one second end is positioned so as to contact said second end on the connector connection end.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, the first ends are provided in ring form having essentially the same diameters. Thus, even if the connector is rotated in different amounts, the continuation of the contact of the first ends is provided.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, the second ends are essentially positioned at the center of the ring form of the first ends. Thus, the second ends are positioned mutually.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, the body connection end comprises a body made of plastic-based material and the first and the second ends made of metal based material are provided on said body.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, the connector connection end comprises a body made of plastic-based material and the first and second ends made of metal-based material are provided on said body.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, on the body connection end, at least one each cable connection ends are provided connected to the first and second ends for providing connection of the first end and of the second end to the actor cables. Thus, the actor cables are welded to the first and second ends by means of pluralities of methods.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, the connector comprises at least one connector body having at least one inner void wherein the connector connection end is positioned.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, the threaded part is provided on the outer wall of said connector body.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, at least one terminal, connected to the connector connection end from one end and extending outwardly from the inner void, is provided in the inner void of the connector body.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, said terminal comprises at least one first arm connected to the first end and at least one second arm connected to the second end.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, in order to provide connection of the first and second arms to the first and second ends, at least one each welding plates are provided on the connector connection end.
In another preferred embodiment of the subject matter invention, the connector comprises at least one sheath provided so as to define socket housing between the terminal and the connector. Thus, the connection of the connector to the socket coming from the vehicle electronic control unit is provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In Figure 1a, a representative view of the main body belonging to the subject matter injector is given.
In Figure 1b, a representative assembly view of the connector and of the main body belonging to the subject matter injector is given.
In Figure 2a and 2b, the representative views of the connector are given.
In Figure 3a and 3b, the representative views of the connector connection end are given.
In Figure 4a, the representative views of the connector connection end and of the terminal belonging to the connector are given.
In Figure 4b, the representative views of the connector body and of the terminal belonging to the connector are given.
In Figure 5a and 5b, the representative views of the body connection end are given.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

10: Injector
20: Main body
21: Connection housing
211 Inlet part
22 Actor cable
23 Body connection end
231 Body
232 First end
233 Second end
234 Cable connection end
40 Connector
41 Connector body
411 Inner void
412 Threaded part
413 Sealing element
42 Connector connection end
421 Body
422 First end
423 Second end
424 Welding plate
43 Terminal
431 First arm
432 Second arm
44 Sheath
441 Socket housing

THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this detailed description, the subject matter injector (10) is explained with references to examples without forming any restrictive effect in order to make the subject more understandable.
As can be seen in Figure 1a and Figure 1b, there is at least one connection housing (21) provided in recess form on the main body (20) of the subject matter injector (10). A connector (40), used for providing the connection between the electronic control unit of the vehicle and the injector (10), is connected to the injector (10) through said connection housing (21).
As can be seen in Figure 2a and Figure 2b, said connector (40) comprises a connector body (41), a sheath (44) connected to said connector body (41), and a terminal (43) extending inside said sheath (44) and the connector body (41). The connector body (41) is provided in a cylindrical form. On the outer wall on one side of the connector body (41), there is a threaded part (412). Moreover, there is an inner void (411) extending from end to end inside the connector body (41). In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connector body (41) is made of metal-based material. Said sheath (44) is made of plastic-based material and is provided so as to extend outwardly from the end of the connector body (41) opposite with respect to the threaded part (412). On the side of the connector body (41) where the threaded part (412) is provided, a connector connection end (42) is positioned in the inner void (411). A terminal (43), provided inside the connector body (41), extends into the sheath (44) from said connector connection end (42).
As can be seen in Figure 3a and Figure 3b, the connector connection end (42) comprises a body (421), and a first end (422) and a second end (423) positioned on said body (421). The body (421) is made of a plastic-based material in cylindrical form. Said first end (422) is provided in ring form on one side of the body (421). Said second end (423) is provided at the center of the ring defined by the first end (422). The first and the second ends (422, 423) are made of metal-based material. Moreover, there are welding plates (424) extending towards the other side of the body (421) from the first and second ends (422, 423).
As can be seen in Figure 4a, the terminal (43) comprises a first arm (431) and a second arm (432) extending in a parallel manner with respect to each other. Said first and second arms (431, 432) are connected to the welding plates (424) provided on the connector connection end (42) by means of welding. Thus, the first arm (431) is connected to the first end (422) and the second arm (432) is connected to the second end (423). As can be seen in Figure 4b, the terminal (43) and the connector connection end (42) are disposed to the inner void (411) of the connector body (41) after the connections thereof are completed. Afterwards, the sheath (44) is formed by means of the plastic injection method. Accordingly, during plastic injection, the plastic material is filled into the inner void (411) and provides fixation of the terminal (43). At the continuation, thanks to the form of the mold used during plastic injection, the plastic material forms a sheath (44) extending outwardly from the inner void (411). There is a socket housing (441) inside the sheath (44) defined as a void between the terminal (43) and the sheath (44). By means of said socket housing (441), the parts of the arms (431, 432) of the terminal (43) remaining outside of the inner void (411) are exposed. Moreover, the socket coming from the electronic unit of the vehicle is disposed into said socket housing (441) at least partially.
The body connection end (23), seen in Figure 5a and Figure 5b, is positioned inside the connection housing (21) provided on the main body (20) of the injector (10), as the detail thereof can be seen in Figure 1 b. The body connection end (23) comprises a body (231) in a form similar to the connector connection end (42) and a first end (232) and a second end (233) provided on said body (231). Said body (231) is provided in cylindrical form and made of a plastic-based material. Said first end (232) is provided on one side of the body (231) in the form of a ring whose one quarter is removed. Said second end (233) is provided at a vicinity of the center of the first end (232). The first end (232) and the second end (233) are made of a metal-based material. There are cable connection ends (234) on one each side of the first end (232) and of the second end (233). After the body connection end (23) is disposed into the connection housing (21), the actor cables (22) extending towards the connection housing (21) inside the main body (20) are connected to said cable connection ends (234). Thus, the actor cables (22) are connected to the first end (232) and to the second end (233). Moreover, the body connection end (23) is positioned to the connection housing (21) such that the first end (232) and the second end (233) face the inlet part (211) of the connection housing (21).
As can be seen in detail in Figure 1b, the connector (40) is disposed to the connection housing (21) through the threaded part (412). In other words, the connector (40) is screwed by being rotated after the threaded part (412) is disposed to the inlet part (211) of the connection housing (21). There are threaded parts (not illustrated in the figures) formed at least partially on the inner wall of the connection housing (21). Moreover, there is a sealing element (413) between the inner wall of the connection housing (21) and the connector body (41). In the preferred embodiment, said sealing element (413) is provided at the end of the threaded part (412). Accordingly, by means of the sealing element (413), after the connector (40) is fixed into the connection housing (21), external items like humidity, water, dust, etc. are prevented from entering into the injector (10).
As a result of said assembly form, when the connector (40) is substantially tightened, the body connection end (23) provided inside the main body (20) and the connector connection end (42) provided inside the connector body (41) are provided to contact each other. Accordingly, the first end (232) provided on the connection end (23) contacts the first end (422) provided on the connector connection end (42). In the same manner, the second end (233) provided on the body connection end (23) contacts the second end (423) provided on the connector connection end (42). Since the second ends (233, 423) are provided at the center and since the first ends (232, 422) are provided in the form of one each rings around the second ends (233, 423), even if the connector (40) is tightened in different amounts during assembly, the ends (232, 233, 422, 423) are matched by being positioned mutually with respect to each other.
Thanks to said embodiment, the water coming from the environment during operation of the injector (10) on the vehicle and the water formed as a result of condensation of the humidity in the environment are prevented from entering into the main body (20). Thus, an injector (10) is obtained which is more resistant to corrosion. Moreover, in said embodiment, since the connector (40) has a design which is afterwards fixable onto the main body (20) of the injector (10), the connector (40) and the main body (20) of the injector (10) are produced in a separate line, and thus the total production duration is shortened. Moreover, by means of plastic injection onto the main body (20) which is applied in the prior art, the connector body (41) is coated and the faults, which may occur during the sheath (44) formation process, are eliminated. By means of this, the possible loss proportion and the occurring losses are decreased. Another advantage provided in said embodiment of the present invention is that while the connector (40) is tightened onto the main body (20) by means of rotation, the angle between the main body (20) and the connector (40) can be changed depending on the tightening amount after the contact of the ends (232, 233, 422, 423) with each other is provided. Thus, the position of the connector (40) is changed depending on the position of the injector (10) on the vehicle where it is used, and thereby ease of assembly is obtained.
The protection scope of the present invention is set forth in the annexed Claims and cannot be restricted to the illustrative disclosures given above, under the detailed description.

Claims

An injector (10) having a connector (40) connected to a socket coming from the electronic control unit of the vehicle for injecting fuel to the combustion chamber in internal combustion engines, characterized by comprising at least one connection housing (21) provided on a main body (20) with threaded parts formed at least partially on the inner wall of the connection housing (21) and at least one threaded part (412) provided on the connector (40) and disposed into said connection housing (21), for providing connection of said connector (40) to the main body (20) of the injector (10), the connector comprises at least one connector body (41) and the threaded part (412) is provided on the outer wall of said connector body (41).
An injector (10) according to Claim 1, characterized in that at least one sealing element (413) is provided between the connection housing (21) and the connector (40).
An injector (10) according to Claim 2, characterized in that said sealing element (413) is provided on said threaded part (412).
An injector (10) according to Claim 1, characterized in that in order to provide electrical connection between the connector (40) and the main body (20) of the injector (10), at least one body connection end (23) is provided inside the connection housing (21) and correspondingly at least one connector connection end (42) is provided at the part of the connector (40) entering into the connection housing (21).
An injector (10) according to Claim 4, characterized in that at least one first end (232) is provided at said body connection end (23) and at least one first end (422) is positioned so as to contact said first end (232) on said connector connection end (42).
An injector (10) according to Claim 4, characterized in that at least one second end (233) is provided at the body connection end (23) and at least one second end (423) is positioned so as to contact said second end (233) on the connector connection end (42).
An injector (10) according to Claim 5, characterized in that the first ends (232, 422) are provided in ring form having essentially the same diameters.
An injector (10) according to Claim 6, characterized in that the second ends (233, 423) are essentially positioned at the center of the ring form of the first ends (232, 422).
An injector (10) according to Claim 4, characterized in that the body connection end (23) comprises a body (231) made of plastic-based material and the first and the second ends (232, 233) made of metal based material are provided on said body (231).
An injector (10) according to Claim 5, characterized in that the connector connection end (42) comprises a body (421) made of plastic-based material and the first and second ends (422, 423) made of metal-based material are provided on said body (421).
An injector (10) according to Claim 9, characterized in that on the body connection end (23), at least one each cable connection ends (234) are provided connected to the first and second ends (232, 233) for providing connection of the first end and of the second end (232, 233) to the actor cables (22).
An injector (10) according to Claim 1, characterized in that at least one terminal (43), connected to the connector connection end (42) from one end and extending outwardly from the inner void (411), is provided in the inner void (411) of the connector body (41).
An injector (10) according to Claim 12, characterized in that said terminal (43) comprises at least one first arm (431) connected to the first end (422) and at least one second arm (432) connected to the second end (423).
An injector (10) according to Claim 13, characterized in that in order to provide connection of the first and second arms (431, 432) to the first and second ends (422, 423), at least one each welding plates (424) are provided on the connector connection end (42).
An injector (10) according to Claim 12, characterized in that the connector (40) comprises at least one sheath (44) provided so as to define socket housing (441) between the terminal (43) and the connector (40).