EP1780402B1

EP1780402B1 - Connector, connector-actor unit, injector, and method of assembling the actor to the injector

Info

Publication number: EP1780402B1
Application number: EP20050023443
Authority: EP
Inventors: Valerio Polidori; Cristiano Zanoboni
Original assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
Current assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
Priority date: 2005-10-26
Filing date: 2005-10-26
Publication date: 2009-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 2025-10-26
Also published as: EP1780402A1; DE602005012966D1

Description

The invention relates to a connector having a connector body and a connector pin. The invention further relates to a connector-actor unit comprising the connector and an injector which comprises the connector-actor unit. The invention further relates to a method of assembling the actor to the injector.
WO 2004/042226 A1 discloses a piezo-electric actuator contacting for an injection valve. A head plate is placed on the piezo-electric actuator terminal pins. The head plate has holes for a passage of the pins. In order to provide permanent and particularly oil-tight sealing between the piezo-electric actuator and the outer contacting, a fuel-resistant sealing ring is inserted in every hole. A bushing made of an insulating material is inserted in each of the passage holes beneath the sealing ring. The bushing centers the terminal pins in the passage hole.
WO 03/060315 A1 discloses a fuel injector having a ferromagnetic coil bobbin. The fuel injector comprises a valve actuator assembly, which includes the bobbin, at least one electrical terminal, a housing cylinder and a wire coil. The wire coil is electrically connected to an electrical contact supported on the bobbin. Each electrical terminal is in electrical contact with a respective electrical contact of the wire coil. In case that the wire coil is energized, it generates a magnetic flux, which moves an armature and allows a fuel flow by separating a metering member from a seat.
DE 19940346 A1 discloses a connector for a piezo-electric component comprising two terminals, which are welded to a wire of the component. A side part of the terminals are designed to be plugged into an external clip for external power supply. A resistance is interconnected between the two terminals to provide reliable operation of the piezo-electric component.
EP 1445470 A1 discloses a metering device for dosing pressurized fluids comprising a piezo-electric actuator and an electrical connector, the connector comprising a connector body and two terminals adapted to be connected to an external power supply. A set of pins for the electrical contact of the piezo-electric actuator is connected to the two terminals of the connector.
DE 19844743 C1 discloses a connecting element for sealing and positioning of contact pins. To provide external power supply, the connecting element comprises two terminals and boreholes for the contact pins. The terminals comprise welding lugs, which are located next to the boreholes for welding them to the contact pins and providing external power supply.
The object of the invention is to create an injector having a connector which enables simply a precise and/or automatic assembling of the connector to the injector.
The object of the invention is achieved by the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the sub-claims.
The invention is distinguished concerning a first aspect of the invention by an injector which comprises a connector and an actor. The connector comprises a connector body and at least one first U-shaped connector pin. The first U-shaped connector pin comprises a first and a second side piece which are connected by a middle piece. The middle piece is fixed to the connector body. The connector body comprises at least one first connector recess next to the first side piece of the first U-shaped connector pin. The actor comprises at least a first wire at one axial end of the actor. The first wire protrudes through the first connector recess and is connected to the first side piece of the first U-shaped connector pin. The second side piece of the first U-shaped connector pin is coupled to a first terminal of the injector.
If the connector is plugged onto the actor having the at least one first wire at the axial end of the actor, the first wire of the actor may protrude through the first connector recess. Then, the first wire is arranged next to the first side piece of the first U-shaped connector pin. This enables very easily the connecting of the first wire to the first side piece of the first connector pin.
If the first wire is flexible, the first connector recess leads the wire to the first side piece of the first connector pin. If the first wire is arranged next to the first side piece of the first connector pin, the first wire may be easily coupled with the first side piece of the first connector pin. The coupling of the first wire with the first side piece of the first connector pin is especially advantageous, if the connector-actor unit is assembled to the injector, because the second side piece of the first connector pin may be easily coupled with a first terminal of the injector.
The first terminal of the injector forms an electric contact for the actor. The coupling of the first terminal with the first wire of the actor via the connector, especially the first connector pin contributes to a very simple and very precise assembling of the connector-actor unit to the injector.
In an advantageous embodiment of the first aspect of the invention the middle piece is surrounded by the material of the connector body. This enables a proper fixing of the first U-shaped connector pin to the connector body.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the first aspect of the invention the connector body comprises an orientation mark. This enables easy an automatic assembling. This is especially advantageous, if the actor comprises a second wire and the connector comprises a second U-shaped connector pin for the second wire and/or if the connector body is symmetric.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the first aspect of the invention the orientation mark comprises an orientation recess and/or an orientation bulge of the connector body. This contributes to a simple manufacturing of the orientation mark.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the first aspect of the invention the orientation mark comprises an orientation label. This contributes to a simple manufacturing of the orientation mark.
The invention is further distinguished concerning a second aspect of the invention by a method of assembling the actor to the injector. The method comprises the steps of plugging the connector onto the actor in such a way that at least the first wire of the actor protrudes through the first connector recess and that the first wire is arranged next to the first side piece of the first U-shaped connector pin. Then, the first wire is connected to the first side piece of the first U-shaped connector pin in such a way that they are coupled electrically conductively to each other. Afterwards, the connector-actor unit, comprising the connector and the actor, is assembled into an injector head of the injector. The second side piece of the first U-shaped connector pin is connected to the first terminal of the injector head. At last the connector-actor unit and the injector head are assembled to an injector body of the injector.
In an advantageous embodiment of the second aspect of the invention the first side piece of the first U-shaped connector pin is fixed to the first wire by welding and/or the second side piece of the first U-shaped connector pin is connected to the first electrical terminal of the injector by welding. This enables easily and cheaply a very good connection between the first wire and the first connector pin and/or the first connector pin and the first terminal.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the second aspect of the invention the connector is aligned to the actor by an optical orientation system and/or the connector-actor unit is aligned to the injector by an optical orientation system. This contributes to a simple automatic assembling of the connector-actor unit and the injector.
Advantageous embodiments of the invention are explained in the following with the aid of schematic drawings:

Figure 1: an injector,
Figure 2: a first view of a first embodiment of a connector,
Figure 3: a second view of the first embodiment of the connector,
Figure 4: a first view of a second embodiment of the connector,
Figure 5: a second view of the second embodiment of the connector,
Figure 6: a first view of a third embodiment of the connector,
Figure 7: a second view of the third embodiment of the connector,
Figure 8: a flow chart for assembling an actor to the injector.

Elements with the same design and function that appear in the different illustrations are identified by the same reference character.
An injector (Figure 1) comprises an injector body 2 with an injector body recess 4 and an injector head 7. An actor 6 is arranged in the injector body recess 4. The actor is preferably a piezo-electric actuator. The actor 6 is coupled to a needle body 8 which is arranged in the injector body recess 4 movable in axial direction. The injector may be used to inject fluid into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine.
A spring 12 is arranged in the injector body recess 4 in such a way that the spring 12 forces the needle body 8 away from a injection nozzle 10 via a needle plate 14. A fluid may flow through a fluid path 16 into the injector body recess 4 towards the injection nozzle 10. Bellows 18 prevent the fluid from leaking into that area of the injector body recess 4 in which the actor 6 and the spring 12 are arranged.
The needle body 8 prevents in a closing position of the needle body a fluid flow through an injection nozzle 10 in the injector body. Outside of the closing position of the needle body 8 the needle body 8 enables the fluid flow through the injection nozzle 10.
Whether the needle body 8 is in its closing position or not depends on a force balance of forces which are acting on the needle body 8. A first force acts on the needle body 8 in the closing direction of the needle body 8 because of the spring 12. A second force may act on the needle body 8 against the closing direction of the needle body 8 because of the actor 6, for example, if the actor 6 gets energized and increases its axial length. The actor 6 may comprise a ground plate 22 and a top plate 24. The actor 6 then is coupled to the needle body 8 or respectively to a connector 32 via the ground plate 22 or respectively the top plate 24. A third force acts on the needle body 8 because of the pressure of the fluid in the injector body recess 4. If the sum of the forces in the opening direction of the needle body 8 is bigger then the sum of the forces in the closing direction the needle body 8, the needle body 8 is not in its closing position. If the needle body 8 is not in its closing position there is a gap between the needle body 8 and the injector body 2 at an axial end of the injector body facing away from the injector head 7. The gap forms the injection nozzle 10.
In this embodiment the injector is of an outward opening type. In an alternative embodiment of the invention the injector may be an injector of an inward opening type. The injection nozzle 10 then preferably is at least one injection hole in the injector body 2.
The connector 32 comprises a first U-shaped connector pin 36 and preferably a second U-shaped connector pin 38 (Figure 2). If the actor 6 comprises further wires 43, the connector 32 preferably comprises further connector pins 36, 38 for connecting the further wires 43. The first U-shaped connector pin 35 comprises a first and a second side piece 40, 42 of the first connector pin 36. The second U-shaped connector pin 38 comprises a first and a second side piece 44, 46 of the second connector pin 38. The first side pieces 40, 44 are connected to the second side pieces 42, 46 by middle pieces 41, 45 of the first or respectively the second U-shaped connector pin 36, 38. In the injector the connector 32 preferably is arranged in the injector head 7. The injector head 7 may comprise at least a first terminal 37 and preferably a second terminal 39.
At least a first wire 43 of the actor 6 protrudes through a first recess 50 of the connector 30. The first wire 43 is arranged next to the first side piece 40 of the first U-shaped connector pin 36. The first terminal 37 is arranged next to the second side piece 42 of the first U-shaped connector pin 36 and the second terminal 39 is arranged next to the second side piece 46 of the second U-shaped connector pin 38.
The connector preferably comprises a second connector recess 52 in case for a second wire of the actor 6. The second connector recess 52 preferably is arranged in such a way that a second wire of the actor 6 which may protrude through the second connector recess 52 is arranged next to the first side piece 44 of the second U-shaped connector pin 38. If there is only the first wire 43 of the actor 6 the grounding of the actor 6 may be realized by a direct contact of the housing of the actor 6 to the injector body 2. Further if there is only the first wire 43 of the actor 6, there is only the first U-shaped connector pin 36 and only the first connector recess 50.
The arrangement that the first wire 43 of the actor 6 protrudes through the first recess 50 of the connector 32 and that the first wire 43 is arranged next to the first side piece 40 of the first connector pin 36 enables very simply a welding process of the first wire 43 to the first side piece 40 of the first U-shaped connector pin 36.
The middle pieces 41, 45 of the first and respectively the second connector pin 36, 38 are preferably surrounded by the material of the connector body 48. So, the first U-shaped connector pin 36 and the second U-shaped connector pin 38 are properly fixed to the connector body 48.
An orientation mark enables a proper orientation of the connector 32 to the actor 6 and a proper orientation of the connector-actor unit to the injector, especially to the injector head 7. The orientation mark is preferably formed in such a way that an optical orientation system is able to realize the orientation of the connector 32 and/or the connector-actor unit. The orientation mark may comprise an orientation recess 54 (Figure 4, Figure 5). The orientation recess 54 may extend through the whole connector body 48. Alternatively the orientation recess 54 only extends through a part of the connector body 48. Alternatively or additionally the connector 32 may comprise an orientation bulge 56 (Figure 6, Figure 7).
Alternatively or additionally the orientation mark comprises an orientation label which may be arranged at a similar place at the surface of the connector 32 like the orientation bulge 56.
The orientation recess 54 and/or the orientation bulge 56 and/or the orientation label may contribute to a simple an cheap manufacturing of the connector 32, especially of the orientation mark.
The connector 32 enables simply a precise and/or automatic assembling of the actor 6 to the injector. A preferred method of assembling the connector 32 to the actor 6 and of assembling the connector-actor unit to the injector is explained in the following (Figure 8).
The assembling may be started in a step S1 by putting the connector 32, the actor 6, and the rest of the injector into an assembling device.
In a step S2, the connector 32 is plugged onto the actor 6 in such a way that the first and in case the second wire 43 of the actor 6 protrude through the first and, respectively, the second connector recess 50, 52 in such a way that the first and the second wire are arranged next to the first side piece 40, 44 of the first U-shaped connector pin 36 or respectively the second U-shaped connector pin 38.
Preferably in the step S2 an optical orientation system recognizes the orientation of the connector 32 with the help of the orientation mark and aligns the position of the connector 32 to the actor 6. This is especially advantageous, if the actor 32 comprises two wires 43. In that case, after the plugging of the connector 32 onto the actor 6, the orientation mark may be representative for the electric polarization of the two wires 43.
In a step S3, the first and/or respectively the second wire 43 are welded to the first side piece 40, 44 of the first and/or respectively the second U-shaped connector pin 36, 38. Alternatively the first and/or respectively the second wire 43 are fixed to the first side piece 40, 44 of the first and/or respectively the second U-shaped connector pin 36, 38 in an other way, for example by brazing.
In a step S4, the connector-actor unit is plugged into the injector head 7. Preferably as in step S2 an optical orientation system aligns the orientation of the connector-actor unit to the injector head 7 by the orientation mark.
In a step S5, the second side piece 42, 46 of the first and/or respectively the second U-shaped connector pin 36, 38 are welded to the first and/or respectively the second terminal 37, 39 of the injector head 7. Alternatively the second side piece 42, 46 of the first and/or respectively the second U-shaped connector pin 36, 38 are fixed to the first and respectively the second terminal 37, 39 of the injector head 7 in an other way, for example by brazing.
In a step S6, the connector-actor unit and the injector head 7 are fixed to the rest of the injector.
In a step S7, the injector is assembled and may be taken off the assembling device.

Claims

Injector comprising an injector head (7) having at least a first terminal (37), a connector (32) and an actor (6), with
- the connector (32) comprising a connector body (48) and at least one first U-shaped connector pin (36) comprising a first and a second side piece (40,42) which are connected by a middle piece (41) which is fixed to the connector body (48),

- the connector body (48) comprising at least one first connector recess (50) next to the first side piece (40) of the first U-shaped connector pin (36),

- the actor (6) having at least a first wire (43) at one axial end of the actor (4), the first wire (43) protruding through the first connector recess (50) and being connected to the first side piece (40) of the first U-shaped connector pin (36),

- the second side piece (42) of the first U-shape connector pin (36) being coupled to the first terminal (37) of the injector head (7).
Injector in accordance with claim 1 with the middle piece (41) being surrounded by the material of the connector body (48).
Injector in accordance with one of the preceding claims with the connector body (48) comprising an orientation mark.
Injector in accordance with claim 3 with the orientation mark comprising an orientation recess (54) and/or an orientation bulge (56) of the connector body (48).
Injector in accordance with claim 3 or 4, with the orientation mark comprising an orientation label (58).
Method of assembling an actor (6) to an injector comprising the steps of
- plugging a connector (32) onto the actor (6) in such a way that at least a first wire (30) of the actor (6) protrudes through a first connector recess (50) being next to a first side piece (40) of a first U-shaped connector pin (36),

- connecting the first wire (30) to the first side piece (40) of the first U-shaped connector pin (36) in such a way that they are coupled electrically conductively to each other,

- assembling the connector-actor unit, comprising the connector (32) and the actor (6), into an injector head (7) of the injector,

- connecting a second side piece (42) of the first U-shaped connector pin (36) to a first terminal (37) of the injector head (7),

- assembling the connector-actor unit and the injector head(7) with an injector body (2) of the injector.
Method in accordance with claim 6 comprising the steps of connecting the first wire (30) to the first side piece (40) of the first U-shaped connector pin (36) by welding and/or connecting the second side piece (42) of the first U-shaped connector pin (36) to the first electrical terminal (40) of the injector by welding.
Method in accordance with one of the claims 6 or 7 comprising aligning of the connector(32)relative to the actor (6) and/or the connector-actor unit relative to the injector body (2).