Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7243637?dq=7,181,690
Timestamp: 2015-04-27 08:22:38
Document Index: 536776183

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 212', 'arts 212', 'arts 212', 'arts 212', 'arts 212', 'arts 212', 'arts 212', 'arts 212', 'arts 212', 'arts 212', 'art 212', 'arts 212', 'arts 212']

Patent US7243637 - Fuel injector - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA fuel injector configured and arranged to inject fuel into a combustion chamber comprises a casing member, a fuel discharge valve and a micro nozzle. The casing member includes a hydraulic chamber configured to contain pressurized fuel and a flow rate regulating hole arranged to discharge the fuel from...http://www.google.com/patents/US7243637?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7243637 - Fuel injectorAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7243637 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/287,387Publication dateJul 17, 2007Filing dateNov 28, 2005Priority dateDec 2, 2004Fee statusLapsedAlso published asDE102005057734A1, US20060118651Publication number11287387, 287387, US 7243637 B2, US 7243637B2, US-B2-7243637, US7243637 B2, US7243637B2InventorsHiroyuki Kaneko, Nirihiko Kiritani, Ryuta Yamaguchi, Takafumi FukumotoOriginal AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (11), Referenced by (3), Classifications (8), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetFuel injector
US 7243637 B2Abstract
15. The fuel injector as recited in claim 13, wherein the electrically conductive member is made of metal. Description
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the micro nozzle 110 with a portion of the micro nozzle being cut away to illustrate an internal structure of the micro nozzle 110. As seen in FIG. 2, the micro nozzle 110 has a substantially circular column-shaped, and includes a semiconductor substrate 112 (a heating structure) preferably made of silicon or the like. As mentioned above, the micro nozzle 110 includes the through holes 111 that run through the semiconductor substrate 112 so that the through holes 111 penetrate between two axially facing end surfaces of the semiconductor substrate 112 (hereinafter called the �front and rear surfaces�). The front and rear surfaces of the semiconductor substrate 112 constitute the first and second main surfaces of the present invention. When the micro nozzle 110 is held in the retaining member 102, the through holes 111 communicate between the flow rate regulating hole 104 and the combustion chamber.
The through holes 111 are formed such that an internal diameter of an opening at a fuel injection end of each of the through holes 111 (i.e., a bottom end of each of the through holes in FIG. 3) is constricted to form a discharge opening 111 a. The internal surfaces of the through holes 111 and the front and rear surfaces of the semiconductor substrate 112 (which come in contact with the fuel) are covered with a protective film 115 as shown in FIG. 3. The protective film 115 is configured and arranged to prevent corrosion caused by contact with fuel. The protective film 115 is preferably made of silicon oxide (SiO2) or other material that does not readily react chemically with the fuel.
Next, as shown in the diagram (c) of FIG. 5, several large diameter holes 111 d (the main portions of the through holes 111) are formed by performing the deep RIE or other anisotropic etching method from the front surface (e.g., a side from which the fuel enters) toward the recessed portions 111 c. The large diameter holes 111 d are formed to have larger internal diameters than the recessed portions 111 c. The large diameter holes 111 d and the recessed portions 111 c constitute the through holes 111 having the discharge openings 111 a. Afterwards, the protective layer 115 is formed on the front and rear surfaces of the substrate 112 (on which the high-concentration impurity layers 113 and the lead electrodes 114 have already been formed) and on the internal surfaces of the through holes 111 to complete the micro nozzle 110.
Similarly to the micro nozzle 110 of the first embodiment, the micro nozzle 210 of the second embodiment has a substantially circular column shaped as shown in FIG. 2. The micro nozzle 210 basically comprises a substantially circular column-shaped semiconductor substrate 212 preferably made of silicon (Si) or the like. The semiconductor substrate 212 includes a through hole forming section 212 a in which a plurality of through holes 211 are formed, and a cylindrically shaped substrate perimeter section 212 b that is arranged around the outside perimeter of the through hole forming section 212 a. The internal diameters of openings at the fuel discharge ends of the through holes 211 (i.e., bottom ends in FIG. 6) are constricted to form discharge openings 211 a. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the through hole forming section 212 a comprises a plurality of cylindrical parts 212 a′ (through hole peripheral portions) with each of the cylindrical parts 212 a′ having the through hole 211 therein, and a plurality of connecting parts 212 a″ (connecting portions). The connecting parts 212 a″ connect adjacent ones of the cylindrical parts 212 a′ together. The connecting parts 212 a″ also connect to the substrate perimeter section 212 b of the semiconductor substrate 212.
As shown in FIG. 8, the through hole forming section 212 a of the semiconductor substrate 212 is configured and arranged such that a plurality of thermal separation holes 216 are formed in the spaces surrounded by the cylindrical parts 212 a′ and the connecting parts 212 a″ and the spaces surrounded by the cylindrical parts 212 a′, the connecting parts 212 a″, and the substrate perimeter part 212 b. As shown in FIG. 6, two high-concentration impurity layers 213 are formed on the front and rear surfaces of the semiconductor substrate 212 to serve as ohmic contacts. Moreover, an impurity layer 217 having an opposite conductivity type as the substrate perimeter section 212 b is formed on one axially-facing end surface (e.g., an upper surface in FIG. 6) of the substrate perimeter section 212 b as shown in FIG. 6. The high-concentration impurity layers 213 are formed on the front and rear surfaces of the semiconductor substrate 212 after the impurity layer 217 is formed. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, the high-concentration impurity layers 213 are formed on the front and rear surfaces of the substrate perimeter section 212 b (on one of which the impurity layer 217 is already formed) and on the front and rear surfaces of the cylindrical parts 212 a′ and the connecting parts 212 a″ of the through hole forming section 212 a. The high-concentration impurity layers 213 have an opposite conductivity type as the impurity layer 217. For example, the conductivity types of the semiconductor substrate 212, the high-concentration impurity layers 213, and the impurity layer 217 are n-type, n-type, and p-type, respectively.
Next, as shown in the diagram (e) of FIG. 10(B), several large diameter holes 211 d are formed from the top side of the through hole forming section 212 a (top side from the perspective of the diagram (e) of FIG. 10(B), i.e., the side from which fuel enters). The large diameter holes 211 d are preferably formed by using the deep RIE or another anisotropic etching method. The large diameter holes 211 d are formed to have larger internal diameters than the recessed portions 211 c as shown in the diagram (d) of FIG. 10(B). The large diameter holes 211 d and the recessed portions 211 c constitute the through holes 211 having the discharge openings 211 a. Next, as shown in the diagram (e) of FIG. 10(B), the protective film 215 comprising the oxide film is formed on the front and rear surfaces of the substrate 212 and on the internal surfaces of the through holes 211 by thermal oxidation or chemical vapor deposition.
FIG. 12 is a partial cross sectional view of the micro nozzle 310 in accordance with the third embodiment. The micro nozzle 310 has the electrically insulating substrate 318 in which a plurality of through holes 311 passing through the front and rear surfaces thereof are formed. The through holes 311 are formed such that an internal diameter of an opening at a fuel injection end of each of the through holes 311 (i.e., a bottom end of each of the through holes in FIG. 11) is constricted to form a discharge opening 311 a. As shown in FIG. 11, the front and rear surfaces of the electrically insulating substrate 318 and the internal surfaces of the through holes 311 are covered with the electrically conductive thin film 319. The electrically conductive thin film 319 is preferably formed using an electroless coating method. If it is difficult to obtain a suitable thickness and characteristics with an electroless coating, an electrolytic coating is preferably applied after the electroless coating is formed.
A lead electrode 414 a is provided in the electrode hole 451 a and the electrode hole 433 a. One end of the lead electrode 414 a is connected to the electrode 423 a and the other end is drawn out from the thermal separation structural body 450 and connected to the electrode 406 a as shown in FIG. 12. Similarly, a lead electrode 414 b is provided in the electrode hole 451 b and the electrode hole 433 b. One end of the lead electrode 414 b is connected to the electrode 423 b and the other end is drawn out from the thermal separation structural body 450 and connected to the electrode 406 b as shown in FIG. 12. Therefore, an electric current flows in the left and right direction (i.e., horizontal direction) of FIG. 13 when a voltage is applied to the lead electrodes 414 a and 414 b. When the micro nozzle 410 is fitted into the thermal separation structural body 450, the thermally insulating entity 418 having a higher thermal resistance than the heating element 420 fills the space between the outer circumferential surface of the heating element 420 and the thermal separation structural body 450. As mentioned above, the thermally insulating entity 418 also fills the insides of the insulation holes 425 formed in the heating element 420.
As used herein, the following directional terms �forward, rearward, above, downward, vertical, horizontal, below and transverse� as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of a device equipped with the present invention. Accordingly, these terms, as utilized to describe the present invention should be interpreted relative to a device equipped with the present invention. Moreover, terms that are expressed as �means-plus function� in the claims should include any structure that can be utilized to carry out the function of that part of the present invention. The terms of degree such as �substantially�, �about� and �approximately� as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. For example, these terms can be construed as including a deviation of at least �5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5400969 *Sep 20, 1993Mar 28, 1995Keene; Christopher M.Liquid vaporizer and diffuserUS5690080 *Jul 17, 1995Nov 25, 1997Texas Instruments IncorporatedFuel heater for heating liquid fuel under pressure for an internal injection engineUS5758826 *Mar 29, 1996Jun 2, 1998Siemens Automotive CorporationFuel injector with internal heaterUS6779513 *May 10, 2002Aug 24, 2004Chrysalis Technologies IncorporatedFuel injector for an internal combustion engineUS6814309 *Nov 12, 2001Nov 9, 2004Robert Bosch GmbhFuel injectorUS7059307 *Jun 17, 2004Jun 13, 2006Philip Morris Usa Inc.Fuel injector for an internal combustion engineUS20030015594 *Sep 12, 2002Jan 23, 2003Kelly Arnold J.Electrostatic atomizersUS20030127543 *Nov 12, 2001Jul 10, 2003Franz RiegerFuel injectorUS20040003801 *Apr 10, 2003Jan 8, 2004Jan-Roger LinnaCapillary heating control and fault detection system and methodology for fuel system in an internal combustion engineUS20040226546 *Jun 17, 2004Nov 18, 2004Pellizzari Roberto O.Fuel injector for an internal combustion engineJPH10141170A Title not available* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7497203 *Aug 3, 2005Mar 3, 2009Caterpillar Inc.Avoidance of spark damage on valve membersUS8002206Dec 29, 2006Aug 23, 2011Caterpillar Inc.Avoidance of spark damage on valve membersUS8635990Jun 24, 2011Jan 28, 2014Caterpillar Inc.Avoidance of spark damage on valve members* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification123/467, 123/549International ClassificationF02M59/46, F02G5/00Cooperative ClassificationF02M53/06, F02M61/1853European ClassificationF02M61/18C, F02M53/06Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionSep 6, 2011FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 20110717Jul 17, 2011LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesFeb 21, 2011REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedNov 28, 2005ASAssignmentOwner name: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD., JAPANFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:KANEKO, HIROYUKI;KIRITANI, NORIHIKO;YAMAGUCHI, RYUTA;ANDOTHERS;REEL/FRAME:017288/0563;SIGNING DATES FROM 20051116 TO 20051117RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services