| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 5860601 |
Fuel injector needle tip |
January 19, 1999 |
| A fuel injector needle has a separate pin element fixed in an axial bore in a tip end of the needle, the bore surrounded by an annular partially spherical region sealing to a valve seat. The pin element is separately manufactured and has a conical spray pattern shaping feature at one end |
| 5848528 |
Optimization of closed-loop and post O2 fuel control by measuring catalyst oxygen storage capaci |
December 15, 1998 |
| A method of automobile engine fuel control is disclosed which senses the condition of the automobile's catalytic converter for the purpose of varying the fuel control function to optimize the performance of the catalytic converter and lower the automobile's tail pipe emissions. In ac |
| 5845621 |
Bellows pressure pulsation damper |
December 8, 1998 |
| A fluid communication device such as a fuel rail having a bellows damper positioned either in the end of the fuel rail or orthogonal to the axis of the fuel rail for dampening pulsed pressure waves from the flowing of the fuel. The bellows is a hollow tubular member having an enclosed en |
| 5832898 |
Fuel injection system with pressure decay metering method |
November 10, 1998 |
| A fuel injection system for an engine having exhaust valve train drive means includes a compression spring connected to the exhaust valve train drive member for compression and expansion movement with the drive member. A diaphragm fuel pump includes a pumping chamber having a pump diaphr |
| 5830348 |
Fuel filter module with integral regulator |
November 3, 1998 |
| The fuel filter/regulator assembly comprises a cylindrical body open at one end and closed at its opposite end by an annular wall having a pocket for receiving the regulator. The annular fuel filter is received in the body and has an inner end cap configured to bear against and receive a |
| 5820099 |
Fluid migration inhibitor for fuel injectors |
October 13, 1998 |
| A fuel injector has a metal housing with grooves formed adjacent the interface of the metal housing and a plastic overmold. By extending the overmold around the grooves, fluid migration past the interface of the overmold and metal housing is prevented. Fluid migration is also prevented |
| 5819411 |
Automatic injector insertion station |
October 13, 1998 |
| An automatic injector insertion station for inserting a fuel injector mounting end into a fuel rail cup includes a housing and an injector nest moveable relative to the housing. The nest includes first and second ends. The first end includes a support for supporting and guiding the injec |
| 5810647 |
Tool quill and method for finishing fuel injector needle tips |
September 22, 1998 |
| A tool quill for carrying out superfinish polishing of a fuel injector needle tip to insure proper sealing of a fuel injector has a universal joint which allows tilting of a polishing stone during the finishing operation to accommodate slight positioning errors between the stone and |
| 5803052 |
Spring clip for retaining a fuel injector in a fuel rail cup |
September 8, 1998 |
| A spring clip for retaining together a fuel injector and a fuel rail cup includes first and second parallel spaced side walls and a third side wall resiliently connecting the first and second side walls to form a generally U-shaped body with an open side. The first and second parallel sp |
| 5797181 |
Methods of manufacturing automotive fuel pumps with set clearance for the pumping chamber |
August 25, 1998 |
| The turbine assembly of a fuel pump includes a pair of housings having an impeller disposed between the housings with a minimum clearance. In a first form, there is provided a spacer between the housings which can be crushed between a pair of press platens such that the combined depth of |
| 5794856 |
Air assist injector and retainer shroud therefor |
August 18, 1998 |
| An air assist top feed fuel injector having a nozzle end for delivering fuel to an engine induction passage includes a retainer shroud on the injector nozzle end for directing air adjacent the nozzle end for atomizing the fuel. In a preferred embodiment, the retainer shroud is an int |
| 5785347 |
Occupant sensing and crash behavior system |
July 28, 1998 |
| An occupant sensing and crash behavior system for a motor vehicle determines the presence and location of an occupant to then control the deployment of supplemental restraint systems such as air bags or inflatable seat/shoulder belts. Crash anticipation and crash severity sensors pro |
| 5785251 |
Air assist fuel injector |
July 28, 1998 |
| An air assist fuel injector wherein a shroud member is snapped on the outside of the valve body to provide a path for assist air to atomize the fuel exiting the injector. Located on the bottom surface of the shroud is a belleville washer to preload air deflection disks against the bottom |
| 5782222 |
Apparatus and method for supplying an alternate fuel substantially simultaneously to fuel inject |
July 21, 1998 |
| A fuel system is provided for supplying a second fuel different from a first supplied fuel substantially simultaneously to a plurality of injectors. In one form, an inner tube within an outer housing has a plurality of openings spaced from inlets to the fuel injectors for supplying t |
| 5779149 |
Piezoelectric controlled common rail injector with hydraulic amplification of piezoelectric stro |
July 14, 1998 |
| A common rail fuel injector utilizes a piezoelectric actuator (8) to open and close the injector valve (3). Intermediate the piezoelectric actuator and the injector valve are a large diameter first piston (9) in fluid communication with a smaller diameter second piston to multiply the |
| 5769043 |
Method and apparatus for detecting engine valve motion |
June 23, 1998 |
| A method of and apparatus for detecting engine valve motion are provided in an internal combustion engine having an electromechanical or electromagnetic valve actuator with a ferrous component that moves in a linear path with the reciprocating motion of an engine valve between its op |
| 5765750 |
Method and apparatus for controlled atomization in a fuel injector for an internal combustion en |
June 16, 1998 |
| A flow straightener and a controlled disturbance element are interposed between the injector needle seat and the discharge orifice disk of a fuel injector. The flow straightener straightens flow eliminating turbulence prior to fuel discharge. The controlled disturbance disturbs the fuel |
| 5758826 |
Fuel injector with internal heater |
June 2, 1998 |
| An internal heater for a fuel injector includes an array of plates of a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) material arranged about the valve element in a square tube shape, and surrounded by a heat insulating polytetrafluorethylene sleeve. The plates are preferably coated with po |
| 5747684 |
Method and apparatus for accurately determining opening and closing times for automotive fuel in |
May 5, 1998 |
| Opening and closing times of a fuel injector are accurately determined in accordance with the energy content of an accelerometer trace. The energy content of an accelerometer trace is determined in accordance with a predetermined relation. A line is defined between known points prior to |
| 5738284 |
Inverted coil |
April 14, 1998 |
| A solenoid-operated fuel injector has a housing forming an enclosure which contains a solenoid coil assembly having electrical terminals extending therefrom via which the fuel injector is connected with a connector for selectively energizing the solenoid coil by electric current to opera |
| 5735555 |
Fuel rail to fuel tube end compact connector |
April 7, 1998 |
| A connector assembly for connecting a fuel rail and an inlet tube having an inlet tube end and a raised annular flange a predetermined distance from its end includes a connector body and an annular clip. The connector body is attached to the fuel rail and includes an outwardly extending |
| 5730367 |
Fuel injector with air bubble/fuel dispersion prior to injection and methods of operation |
March 24, 1998 |
| A fuel injector for an engine includes a fuel volume having an air inlet port having a porous membrane. The membrane is permeable to air and impermeable to fuel whereby air inlet to the fuel volume forms a two-phase air bubble/fuel dispersion within the fuel volume. Upon actuation of the |
| 5725242 |
Airbag squib with silicon circuit and energy storage |
March 10, 1998 |
| A control arrangement for a deployable airbag of a vehicle is provided with first and second airbag controllers for receiving a fault signal at the first airbag controller, and for producing at the second airbag controller a deployment command signal that indicates that the deployable ai |
| 5724946 |
Fuel rail and injector assembly |
March 10, 1998 |
| A fuel rail and injector assembly include a fuel delivery rail having an injector cup and a fuel injector having a mounting end mountable in the injector cup. The injector cup includes a receiving section having a necked down portion and a retaining portion, integral with the injector |
| 5722687 |
Airbags squib with temperature bias |
March 3, 1998 |
| A control arrangement for a deployable airbag of a vehicle is provided with a squib for firing in response to a deployment command signal whereby the deployable airbag is deployed. Bilateral communication is effected between the control arrangement and an airbag electronic controller. El |
| 5716001 |
Flow indicating injector nozzle |
February 10, 1998 |
| A flow sensing fuel injector nozzle includes first and second spaced silicon layers containing flow restricting and distributing orifices and openings for atomizing fuel. The layers are support by a silicon or metal base and spaced by an epitaxial silicon layer to form a nozzle member. |
| 5711281 |
Fuel injector with air atomization |
January 27, 1998 |
| An air assist atomizer is used for obtaining a desired air flow through a fuel injector, the fuel injector having an injector valve stem, and the injector valve stem movable over a displacement. The air assist atomizer has an air passage via which atomizing air enters and a fuel passage |
| 5685268 |
Fuel leakage detector system |
November 11, 1997 |
| A method and system implementation of a fail-safe algorithm utilizes the engine controller of a fuel-injected vehicle, and detects leakage in the high-pressure portion of the fuel delivery system. A control volume is defined to include the outlet of the high-pressure pump, the fuel line |
| 5682859 |
Method and arrangement for mounting fuel rails |
November 4, 1997 |
| A mounting arrangement and method for installing fuel injectors into a molded composite intake manifold having an integral fuel rail provides an aligned injector pocket bore in the fuel rail portion and an injector seat bore in an intake manifold runner. The seating bore is oversized to |
| 5678769 |
Thermostatic air control for an air assist fuel injector |
October 21, 1997 |
| A thermostatic air control for assist air to a fuel injector utilizes a bi-metallic ring to seal the air inlets when the engine temperature has increased. This in effect prevents the flow of assist air when the engine is warm and the need for assist air is not required. The bi-metallic r |
| 5678767 |
Fuel injector with contaminant deflector |
October 21, 1997 |
| A generally frusto-conical contaminant particle deflector is mounted within a valve body of an automotive engine fuel injector, surrounding a fuel injector valve element. An inner clearance space between the valve element and an open end of the deflector receives fuel flow when the injec |
| 5667194 |
Armature needle valve assembly having plastic connecting means |
September 16, 1997 |
| A armature needle valve assembly for a gasoline fuel injector comprises a needle for contacting and separating from a valve seat. An armature, movable in a first direction and a second direction, causes the needle to contact and separate from the valve seat. A molded plastic connecting |
| 5666927 |
Fuel/air supply system for a fuel injector and methods of operation |
September 16, 1997 |
| The fuel and air supply system of the present invention provides fuel from a fuel pump at a first pressure upstream of a pressure reducer, fuel being provided directly to the fuel injector at a reduced pressure on the downstream side of the pressure reducer. A bypass line in communicatio |
| 5645226 |
Solenoid motion initiator |
July 8, 1997 |
| A typical solenoid-operated fuel injector solenoid motion initiator provided to initiate motion of the armature during de-energization of the solenoid. The solenoid motion initiator is a piezoelectric device mounted adjacent to or within the pole of the stator of the solenoid. |
| 5642862 |
Fuel injection valve having a guide diaphragm and method for assembling |
July 1, 1997 |
| A fuel injection valve for an engine fuel injection system includes a valve housing, a valve seat fixedly secured to the valve housing and a valve needle movable axially and co-operably engageable with the valve seat. The fuel injection valve also includes a diaphragm that aligns the nee |
| 5641126 |
Fuel injection systems with compact filter mountings |
June 24, 1997 |
| An engine fuel injection system includes a conventional fuel rail with a top feed fuel injector connected thereto. The overall length of the injector is able to be shortened by the application of compact fuel inlet filter mountings in which a well (deep cup) shaped filter element is |
| 5636827 |
Notched needle bounce eliminator |
June 10, 1997 |
| A device comprises an armature movable in a first direction and a second direction for causing a needle to contact and separate from a seat assembly. Stop means provide a motion stop in at least the first direction. Damping means are applied to the needle for reducing bounce of the n |
| 5625946 |
Armature guide for an electromechanical fuel injector and method of assembly |
May 6, 1997 |
| A low cost method for manufacturing and aligning the upper and lower guide members in a fuel injector reduces manufacturing cost and improves durability. The method teaches the use of an alignment tool to axially align both guide members before the guide members are rigidly secured to |
| 5616037 |
Fuel rail with combined electrical connector and fuel injector retainer |
April 1, 1997 |
| A fuel rail has a series of contact strips extending along each side of a molded plastic inner fuel rail, each contact strip having a hook shaped end engaging a contact pocket in a fuel injector to establish an electrical connection. Oppositely located pairs of hook ends retain each |
| 5607315 |
Connector for injector retention and electrical connection to a fuel rail |
March 4, 1997 |
| A coupling element or attachment device mechanically and electrically mates a fuel injector to a plastic fuel rail. The attachment device electrically couples the male electrical connector to integral wiring within the fuel rail. The attachment device is preferably slidably engaged upon |
| 5577666 |
Air assist atomizer for a split stream fuel injector |
November 26, 1996 |
| The atomizer is a cap-shaped shroud that contains a flat stamped metal insert. When assembled onto the nozzle of a fuel injector, the atomizer causes the insert to be axially sandwiched between the shroud's end wall and the exterior end of the nozzle. In the zone of sandwiching, the inse |
| 5577663 |
Bottom feed injector with top calibration feed |
November 26, 1996 |
| A bottom feed engine fuel injector is provided with a valve spring calibration adjuster such as an adjusting tube, which permits fuel flow from the top of the injector during manufacturing calibration and run in. The upper end of the injector is capped in the last manufacturing step |
| 5575264 |
Using EEPROM technology in carrying performance data with a fuel injector |
November 19, 1996 |
| A method for retaining and recalling technical data associated with a solenoid-operated fuel injector improves engine emissions. Each fuel injector is tested to generate technical data specifications relating to the fuel injector. The technical data specifications are then transferred |
| 5572974 |
Combined start bypass and safety pressure relief valve for a fuel system |
November 12, 1996 |
| A high pressure fuel system includes a combination bypass and safety pressure release valve across the high pressure fuel pump. The combination valve allows the feed pump to directly provide fuel to the system before the high pressure pump reaches full output pressure. The valve also |
| 5570842 |
Low mass, through flow armature |
November 5, 1996 |
| A typical solenoid-operated fuel injector comprises a housing forming an enclosure which contains a solenoid coil that is selectively energized by electric current to operate the fuel injector. An inlet connector tube extends into a stator to convey liquid fuel into the enclosure, to a v |
| 5570841 |
Multiple disk swirl atomizer for fuel injector |
November 5, 1996 |
| Multiple orifice disks are stacked and include one or more swirl disks. The effect of the stack of disks is to impart swirl to the fuel stream being ejected from the injector in a relatively short axial length. The geometry of the disks in the stack are such that the fuel from the top di |
| 5568798 |
Plastic fuel rail having integrated electrical wiring |
October 29, 1996 |
| A fuel rail including an electrical strip is utilized to electrically couple fuel injectors to an external electrical connector situated on an outside surface of the fuel rail. The fuel rail is preferably made from plastic and includes injector cups situated in fuel injector attachments |
| 5565874 |
Expandable, multi-level intelligent vehicle highway system |
October 15, 1996 |
| An expandable multi-level intelligent vehicle highway navigation system 11 for a motor vehicle having an input device 34 that is adapted to load the segments 21 of a route into a memory means 32. A controller 30 receives a wheel pulse input 28 for distance and electric power 36 from the |
| 5552780 |
Method and apparatus for transmitting coded light through low transmissible materials |
September 3, 1996 |
| A transceiver for transmitting and receiving coded light through a motor vehicle windshield from an in-vehicle computer. The coded light is binary encoded data that is first transmitted through the windshield by light emitting diodes in the red, green, or yellow light range or a similar |
| 5533249 |
Method of making a two piece stator with magnetic bobbin |
July 9, 1996 |
| A method of making a solenoid coil assembly comprises the steps of providing a bobbin made of an insulated magnetic material. A pair of electrical terminals is mounted on the bobbin for connection with a separable electrical connector. A two-piece stator assembly is comprised of an i |
