US 12,454,930 B2
Fuel feed for motor-driven high pressure fuel pump
Srinu Gunturu, Jacksonville, NC (US); Michael Hornby, Emerald Isle, NC (US); Donald Holder, Hubert, NC (US); Clark Klyza, Jacksonville, NC (US); and James Bennardi, Whitmore Lake, MI (US)
Assigned to Stanadyne Operating Company LLC, Jacksonville, NC (US)
Appl. No. 18/687,151
Filed by Stanadyne Operating Company LLC, Jacksonville, NC (US)
PCT Filed Aug. 26, 2022, PCT No. PCT/US2022/041644
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 27, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/028295, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 2, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/237,816, filed on Aug. 27, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2025/0116247 A1, Apr. 10, 2025
Int. Cl. F02M 37/08 (2006.01); F02M 51/04 (2006.01); F02M 53/00 (2006.01); F02M 59/46 (2006.01); F02M 63/00 (2006.01); F01P 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC F02M 37/08 (2013.01) [F02M 51/04 (2013.01); F02M 53/00 (2013.01); F02M 59/464 (2013.01); F02M 63/0001 (2013.01); F01P 2003/005 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A high-pressure fuel pump comprising:
a variable speed direct current motor having a motor housing (20) with a fuel inlet (38) at a motor housing first end, and a shaft (26) extending from a motor housing second end axially opposite said motor housing first end;
a pump drive housing (44) secured to the motor housing (20) second end by a sealed connection and defining a drive chamber (67);
an eccentric drive (28) in said drive chamber (67) and coupled to the shaft (26) to convert rotation of the shaft (26) into reciprocating motion;
a plunger (30) reciprocated by the eccentric drive (28) in a plunger bore (31) so that a pumping end (63) of the plunger (30) moves into and away from a pumping chamber (33);
a pump body (54) secured to the pump drive housing (44) and at least partially defining the pumping chamber (33), said pump body (54) defining an inlet opening (41) between the drive chamber (67) and a pump inlet (40);
a pumping sleeve (78) defining the plunger bore (31);
a sleeve retainer (81) surrounding said pumping sleeve (78) and secured to said pump body (54) and extending into the drive chamber (67) wherein the sleeve retainer (81) defines at least one fuel flow opening (83) fluidly connecting the drive chamber (67) to the inlet opening (41);
a resilient load ring (82) arranged within said sleeve retainer (81) to bias an upper end (77) of the pumping sleeve (78) against a sealing surface (75) on said pump body (54) surrounding the pumping chamber (33);
an inlet check valve (47) in the pump inlet (40) and arranged to open as the plunger (30) moves away from the pumping chamber (33) to draw fuel into the pumping chamber (33) and close when the plunger (30) is moving into the pumping chamber (33) to compress fuel in the pumping chamber (33), fuel passing through the inlet check valve (47) passing through the inlet opening (41) from the drive chamber (67);
an outlet check valve (50) arranged to close when the plunger (30) moves away from the pumping chamber (33) and open when the plunger (30) moves into the pumping chamber (33) and pressure downstream of the outlet check valve (50) is less than a pressure in the pumping chamber (33);
a high-pressure outlet (84) connected to the pump body (54) to receive pressurized fuel passing through said outlet check valve (50),
wherein fuel flows into the fuel inlet (38), through the variable speed direct current motor into the pump drive housing (44) and from the pump drive housing (44) through the inlet opening (41) to the pump inlet (40), said fuel cooling the variable speed direct current motor and cooling and lubricating the eccentric drive (28) before entering the pumping chamber (33).
 
8. A high-pressure fuel pump comprising:
a variable speed direct current motor (22) having a motor housing (20) with a first end and a second end, with a fuel inlet (38) located at said first end, and a drive shaft (26) at said second end;
a pump drive housing (44) having a sealed connection to the motor housing (20), said drive housing (44) defining a drive chamber (67);
an eccentric drive (28) in the drive chamber (67) and coupled to the drive shaft (26), the eccentric drive (28) comprising:
a drive follower (66) defining a recess including a female thread;
a plunger-retaining insert (72) including a male thread that mates with the drive follower (66) female thread, said plunger-retaining insert (72) including a radially inward projecting shoulder having an inner limit; and
a thrust washer (74) beneath the inward projecting shoulder and extending radially inward of the inner limit;
a pumping plunger (30) with a driven end (62) connected to the eccentric drive (28) to convert rotation of the drive shaft (26) into reciprocating motion of the pumping plunger (30) in a plunger bore (31) that alternately expands and restricts the volume of a pumping chamber (33) by a pumping end (63) of the pumping plunger (30) moving into and away from the pumping chamber (33), the driven end (62) of the pumping plunger (30) includes a radially outward projecting flange (64) permanently secured to the driven end (62) of the pumping plunger (30), said flange (64) retained within the recess defined by the drive follower (66) by the thrust washer (74), which spans a radial gap between the inner limit of the inward projecting shoulder and an outer limit of the radially outward projecting flange (64);
a pump body (54) having a sealed connection to the pump drive housing (44) and partially defining the pumping chamber (33);
an inlet opening (41) fluidly connecting the drive chamber (67) to a pump inlet (40);
an inlet check valve (47) located within the pump inlet (40) that opens as the pumping plunger (30) moves away from the pumping chamber (33) to draw fuel into the pumping chamber (33), and closes as the pumping plunger (30) moves into the pumping chamber (33) to compress fuel in the pumping chamber (33) enabling fuel to pass through the inlet check valve (47) after passing through the inlet opening (41) from the drive chamber (67);
an outlet check valve (50) that closes as the pumping plunger (30) moves away from the pumping chamber (33), and opens as the pumping plunger (30) moves into the pumping chamber (33) when fuel pressure in the pumping chamber (33) exceeds fuel pressure in the fuel system downstream of the outlet check valve (50);
wherein fuel flows from the fuel inlet (38) through the motor housing (20), the drive chamber (67) and the inlet opening (41) to the pumping chamber (33).