INTEGRATED FUEL INJECTOR IGNITERS WITH CONDUCTIVE CABLE ASSEMBLIES

• US 20110057058A1
• Filed: 07/21/2010
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Green Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAlister Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: McAlister, Roy E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,413,634 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 239/533.3
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 51/0675 the valve body having cylindrical guiding or metering portions, e.g. with fuel passages
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 57/005 the devices being sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 57/06 the devices being sparking plugs
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 1/00 Methods or apparatus specially adapted for installing, maintaining, repairing or dismantling electric cables or lines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a fuel injector assembly including a valve and a cable assembly for actuating the valve. The cable can include a plurality of strands, and each strand can be an optical fiber, an electrical conductor, or a tensile member capable of withstanding a tensile stress caused when the valve actuator actuates the valve, or any combination thereof. The cable can also include a brush bearing with bristles extending from the cable to maintain the cable at least generally centered within a channel as the cable moves in the channel. The bristles can be electrically conductive and can convey a voltage to an electrode pair near the valve to ionize at least a portion of the fuel to urge the fuel from the injector through the valve.

Claims

1. A cable assembly, comprising:

a stem tube having a first end and a second end, the stem tube including an optical fiber and an electrically conductive sheath;

electrically conductive bristles extending from the stem tube and configured to maintain the stem tube at least generally aligned within a channel;

a first electrode connected to the first end, the first electrode being positioned near a second electrode and configured to deliver an ionizing voltage between the first and second electrodes;

a sensor at the first end of the stem tube configured to detect at least one of pressure, temperature, light, or movement and to relay an associated signal along the optical fiber; and

a cable actuator connected to the second end of the cable and configured to actuate the stem tube by tensioning the stem tube.

2. The cable assembly of claim 1 wherein the channel is within a fuel injector adjacent to a combustion chamber, and the sensor is configured to detect a combustion event in the combustion chamber.

3. The cable assembly of claim 1, further comprising a tensile member extending along the stem tube and configured to bear a tensile load caused when the cable actuator tensions the stem tube.

4. The cable assembly of claim 1 wherein the optical fiber is configured to bear a tensile load caused when the cable actuator actuates the fuel injector by pulling the cable.

5. The cable assembly of claim 1 wherein the stem tube comprises a plurality of stem tubes arranged in a litz array, wherein the litz array is a braided configuration configured to deliver the voltage to the electrode pair.

6. The cable assembly of claim 1 wherein the bristles are generally rigid and maintain the cable generally centered within the channel.

7. The cable assembly of claim 1 wherein the cable further comprises electrically conductive strands arranged concentrically around the optical fibers and configured to deliver the voltage to the electrode pair.

8. The cable assembly of claim 1 wherein the voltage comprises an AC voltage.

9. The cable assembly of claim 1 wherein the voltage comprises a DC voltage.

10. The cable assembly of claim 1 wherein the bristles are configured to maintain the cable at least generally centered within the channel.

11. The cable assembly of claim 1 wherein the bristles are wound around the cable in a helix or a double helix.

12. The cable assembly of claim 1, further comprising an electrically conductive sleeve lining at least a portion of the channel, wherein at least a portion of the bristles are electrically conductive and form part of an electrical path for the voltage between the electrically conductive sleeve and the electrode pair.

13. The cable assembly of claim 12 wherein the electrically conductive sleeve lines a first portion of the channel but not a second portion of the channel, and wherein bristles that contact the second portion of the channel are not electrically conductive and have low friction between the channel and the bristles.

14. The cable assembly of claim 13 wherein the cable moves between a first position when the valve is closed and a second position when the valve is open, and wherein the conductive sleeve contacts at least a portion of the electrically conductive bristles at both the first position and the second position.

15. The cable assembly of claim 12, further comprising an electrical lead configured to deliver the voltage to the electrically conductive sleeve, wherein the electrical lead remains stationary relative to the electrically conductive sleeve as the cable moves between the first position and the second position.

16. The cable assembly of claim 1 wherein the stem tube comprises a plurality of stem tubes arranged into a group of central stem tubes and a group of outer stem tubes, the cable assembly further comprising a stop fixed to the central stem tubes and to the outer stem tubes, wherein the stop is between the central stem tubes and the outer stem tubes, and wherein the stop is configured to limit the movement of the cable assembly within the channel.

17. The cable assembly of claim 1 further comprising a stop fixed to the stem tube and configured to engage a shoulder that is fixed relative to the channel, wherein the stop is configured to limit a range of motion of the cable assembly within the channel.

18. A fuel injector, comprising:

a dielectric body with a channel extending between a fuel reservoir and a fuel combustion chamber;

a cable assembly positioned within the channel, the cable assembly including—

an optical fiber,

an electrically conductive strand, and

a plurality of generally rigid filaments extending radially from the optical fiber and the electrically conductive strand and contacting the dielectric body to maintain the cable generally centered within the channel;

a valve operably coupled to the cable and positioned between the channel and the fuel combustion chamber;

a valve actuator connected to the cable and configured to move the cable in the channel to actuate the valve and permit fuel to enter the fuel combustion chamber from the channel;

a sensor positioned on the valve and configured to detect a combustion event in the fuel combustion chamber, wherein the sensor is connected to at least one of the first and second bundles and configured to relay a signal along the optical fibers to report the combustion event.

19. The fuel injector of claim 18, further comprising an electrically conductive lining in a portion of the channel, wherein at least a portion of the filaments are electrically conductive and contact the electrically conductive lining.

20. The fuel injector of claim 19, further comprising an electrical lead contacting the electrically conductive lining, wherein the electrical lead, the electrically conductive lining, the electrically conductive filaments, and the valve form an electrical path through which electricity is delivered to form a plasma in the channel to deliver the fuel into the fuel combustion chamber.

21. The fuel injector of claim 18 wherein the optical fiber and the electrically conductive strand are wound such that the filaments form a helix around the cable.

22. The fuel injector of claim 18 wherein at least one of the optical fiber and the conductive strand is configured to bear a tensile load in the cable caused by the valve actuator.

23. The fuel injector of claim 18 wherein at least one of the optical fiber and the conductive strand comprises a plurality of stem tubes arranged in a braided litz array.

24. A valve actuation mechanism, comprising

a valve;

means for sensing at least one of heat, light, pressure, or motion, the means for sensing being positioned at the valve;

a cable connected to the valve, the cable being configured to—

sense at least one of heat, pressure, and motion opposite the valve, carry an optical signal from the means from sensing to a controller, and conduct electricity along the cable;

means for actuating the valve by pulling on the cable to move the valve between a closed position to an open position;

a brush bearing comprising a plurality of bristles protruding from the cable to maintain the cable at least generally centered within a bore, wherein the brush bearing permits the cable to move between the open position and the closed position within the bore.

25. The valve actuation mechanism of claim 24 wherein the cable comprises at least one optical fiber configured to—

withstand tensile forces caused by the means for actuating the valve; and

carry an optical signal from the means for sensing.

26. The valve actuation mechanism of claim 24 wherein the optical fiber comprises an optical core and an electrically conductive sheath surrounding the optical core.

27. The valve actuation mechanism of claim 25 wherein the optical fiber is made of at least one of fiber glass, polyimide, polyamide-imide, aluminum fluoride, quartz, and sapphire.

28. The valve actuation mechanism of claim 24 wherein the cable comprises—

an optical fiber configured to carry the optical signal; and

an electrically conductive strand configured to conduct electricity along the cable and to bear a tensile load caused by the means for actuating.

29. The valve actuation mechanism of claim 24 wherein the valve comprises a valve for a fuel injector, and the means for sensing comprises means for detecting a combustion event through the valve.

30. The valve actuation mechanism of claim 24, further comprising means for biasing the valve toward at least one of the open position and the closed position.

31. The valve actuation mechanism of claim 24 wherein the cable comprises a plurality of strands arranged in a litz array.

32. The valve actuation mechanism of claim 24 wherein the cable comprises a plurality of concentric layers of strands.

33. The valve actuation mechanism of claim 24 wherein at least a portion of the bristles and at least a portion of the bore are electrically conductive.

34. The valve actuation mechanism of claim 24 wherein the cable comprises at least two bundles, and the bristles of the brush bearing extend between the bundles.

35. A method of manufacturing a litz wire, comprising:

forming a litz wire from a plurality of stem tubes, the stem tubes individually including an optical core and an electrically conductive sheath surrounding the optical core;

forming a brush bearing in the litz wire having bristles extending transversely to the litz wire;

attaching a valve to a first end of the litz wire;

attaching a sensor to the valve, wherein the sensor is coupled to the optical fibers to convey an optical signal from the sensor along the fibers;

coupling the litz wire to a valve actuator; and

positioning the litz wire in a channel of a housing with the valve being configured to actuate to inject a fluid from the housing when the valve actuator actuates the valve, wherein the brush bearing is configured to bear the litz wire at least generally centered within the channel.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein forming the litz wire comprises braiding the plurality of stem tubes, and wherein forming the brush bearing comprises weaving the bristles within the litz wire.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising coupling the litz wire to an ionizing source and an electrode pair, wherein the ionizing power source is configured to deliver a voltage along the litz wire and ionize at least a portion of the fluid.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein forming the brush bearing comprises forming the bristles into a helix around the litz wire.