Patent ID: 7156076

Claim:
A fuel injection apparatus for an internal combustion engine, the apparatus comprising, a fuel supply pump ( 12 ) that supplies fuel from a fuel tank ( 10 ) to the intake side of at least one high-pressure pump ( 14 ), the high-pressure pump ( 14 ) being operable to deliver fuel into a reservoir ( 16 ) in accordance with operating parameters of the engine, a fuel metering device ( 44 ) for adjusting the fuel quantity that the high-pressure pump ( 14 ) delivers into the reservoir ( 16 ), the fuel metering device ( 44 ) having an actuator ( 45 ) and a control valve ( 46 ) triggered by this actuator, the control valve ( 46 ) having a valve element ( 54 ; 154 ) guided in a cylinder bore ( 52 ; 152 ) of a valve housing ( 50 ; 150 ) and the actuator ( 45 ) being operable to slide this valve element in opposition to a return force ( 60 ), and the valve element ( 54 ; 154 ), in cooperation with an aperture ( 62 ; 162 ) disposed in the circumference of the cylinder bore ( 52 ; 152 ) and connected to either an inlet from the fuel supply pump ( 12 ) or to an outlet to the high-pressure pump ( 14 ), controlling a flow cross section in the connection from the fuel supply pump ( 12 ) to the high-pressure pump ( 14 ), the valve element ( 54 ; 154 ) being operable to close the flow cross section at least almost completely, the valve element ( 54 ; 154 ) also controlling a connection either of the inlet from the fuel supply pump ( 12 ) or of the outlet to the high-pressure pump ( 14 ) to a discharge region, the valve element ( 54 ; 154 ) opening this connection when it closes the flow cross section, wherein the valve element ( 54 ) is embodied as hollow and its circumference has at least one aperture ( 64 ; 68 ) which, in cooperation with the aperture ( 62 , 66 ) in the circumeference of the cylinder bore ( 52 ), controls the connection to the discharge region and the flow cross section in the connection between the fuel supply pump ( 12 ) and the high-pressure pump ( 14 ).