Injection or blow-in device having at least one valve for metering fluid

Abstract

The invention relates to an injection or injection device having a valve (2) for metering a fluid, in particular a fuel injection valve for injecting gaseous fuel into a combustion chamber (3) of an internal combustion engine. The valve (2) has an inflow-side valve end (5) for an inflow-side inlet of the fluid. According to the invention, a first retaining element (7) and a second retaining element (8) are provided, the first retaining element (7) having an opening (15) and the second retaining element (8) having an opening (20), the openings (15) and (20) being configured such that, together with a ball section of the valve (2), a spherical bearing in the retaining elements (7, 8) is ensured. According to the invention, there is provided a separate spherical body (9) which can be fastened to the valve (2) and which has a spherically curved contact surface (36, 41) which cooperates with the surface (16) of the first retaining element (7) and the surface (21) of the second retaining element (8) in order to form a spherical bearing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an injection or injection device having at least one valve for metering a fluid, in particular a fuel injection valve for injecting gaseous fuel into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. In particular, the invention relates to an injection device with which hydrogen can be injected directly into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine with external ignition and a compressed mixture. Background Art

[0002] A retaining element for a fuel injection device is known from DE 10 2014 200 597 A1. Here, the retaining element is used to retain a fuel injection valve on an attachment point of a fuel-conducting component. The attachment element of the fuel injection valve has a partially spherical sealing surface, which rests on a conical sealing surface of the component, wherein the attachment element is loaded with a preload against the conical sealing surface. The preload is applied by a clamping screw and is transmitted via the guide element.

[0003] In addition, a hydraulic attachment is known from DE 10 2015 205 980 A1, via which a fuel injection valve can be connected to a fuel-conducting component. The assembly has a retaining bridge, which in turn has a support surface. Here, an attachment joint of the fuel injection valve is provided, which can be supported on the support surface of the retaining bridge. In addition, an attachment body is provided, wherein a hydraulic connection is formed between the attachment joint of the fuel injection valve and the attachment body. For this purpose, a convexly spherically curved placement surface is provided on the attachment body, and a conically extending support surface is formed on the attachment joint of the fuel injection valve. At the convexly curved placement surface and the support surface, contact between the attachment joint of the fuel injection valve and the attachment body is achieved for forming a hydraulic connection. Here, the support surface of the attachment joint is constructed axially symmetrically about the longitudinal axis. In this respect, it is a known metal ball / cone seal in the mating area.

[0004] Fuel injection valves are known in the prior art in various configurations. In this context, in high-pressure injection devices for liquid fuels, as described in the above-mentioned documents of the prior art, metal-metal connections are additionally implemented between the fuel distribution line (fuel rail for short) and the injector in the connection region. However, these metal-metal connections require relatively high forces to ensure adequate sealing, by means of which the surfaces of the components to be sealed are pressed against each other.

[0005] In the search for alternative fuels in order to reduce or avoid harmful emissions, in particular an optimized solution should be provided for attaching or suspending a fuel injection valve for injecting gaseous fuel, in particular hydrogen, directly into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine.

[0006] Tests on an engine bench have shown that the known attachments or suspensions for fuel injection valves with direct injection of liquid fuel can be transferred to the attachments or suspensions for fuel injection valves with direct injection of gaseous fuel simply without further work. The direct injection fuel injection valve for gaseous fuel can be suspended. The higher the transverse forces applied by the hold-down device, the more the high loads shorten the service life of the fuel injection valve, which is required to ensure full functionality. According to the invention, this disadvantage is overcome for the suspended fuel injection valve. Summary of the invention

[0007] In contrast, the advantage of the injection or insufflation device according to the invention with at least one valve for metering a fluid is that an optimal support of the valve is achieved and an optimal attachment of the valve supported in this way to the supply line is additionally possible. The invention provides a configuration of the first retaining element and the second retaining element, which allows a metal-metal seal to be achieved between a separate spherical body that can be fastened to the valve and the two retaining elements, which metal-metal seal does not allow leakage even at high pressures. According to the invention, the spherical body is shaped so that it can simultaneously achieve a bearing similar to a ball joint at the opening of the first retaining element and at the opening of the second retaining element.

[0008] Furthermore, this embodiment of the device according to the invention allows simple and reliable assembly.

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the invention result from the preferred embodiments.

[0010] The metal-to-metal seal or the bearing is preferably a metallic ball / cone seal, wherein preferably a ball section is provided on the spherical body and a conical surface is provided on the retaining element.

[0011] Particularly preferably, the spherical segments of the spherical body are convexly curved segments, the radius of which is either constant or, viewed over the entire spherical body, varies. In this case, for example, the spherical radii above and below the imaginary spherical equator can differ from one another. However, in the case of spherical segments on the spherical body with different radii, the center point or the point of rotation of the spherical segment is ideally located on the center axis of the spherical body.

[0012] It is particularly advantageous to provide a spherical body which, in addition to a metallic ball / cone seal or cone / cone seal or ball / ball seal, also allows a further sealing to be achieved by means of an additional sealing element.

[0013] The first retaining element, the second retaining element and the spherical body with the spherical bearing integrated therein form an upper suspension area for the valve, while a second bearing point of the valve is formed in the area of ​​the sealing ring at the lower valve end facing the combustion chamber, the sealing ring being in particular a sealing ring made of PTFE. The two bearing points are at a maximum distance from one another in the axial direction. The valve is supported by the sealing ring on the wall of the longitudinal bore of the cylinder head.

[0014] In order to avoid large lost volumes in the longitudinal bore, an annular gap is advantageously formed between the wall of the longitudinal bore and the outlet-side valve end, the radial extent of which is only about 50 μm to 100 μm. In this respect, the outer diameter of the valve end of the valve and the inner diameter of the longitudinal bore in the cylinder head differ only slightly.

[0015] The valve is oriented relative to the wall of the longitudinal bore by means of a bearing at the sealing ring on the valve end of the valve. The ball joint on the upper suspension area provides the necessary degree of freedom. Here, the valve must not be pressed onto the cylinder head in the axial direction, but must be freely "suspended", which can be referred to as a "suspension design", so that the bearing is only realized by the lower sealing ring and the upper ball joint. After the first retaining element is firmly connected to the cylinder head or a corresponding attachment body by means of screws, the screws connecting the two retaining elements can be tightened alternately. As a result, the valve is finally firmly and safely connected by means of the clamping of the retaining elements and as far as possible without transverse forces.

[0016] The valve can have an arc shape determined by the mounting side without transverse forces being introduced into the valve as a result, since this is avoided due to the clamping according to the invention. In addition, the design according to the invention makes it possible to achieve high tolerances in terms of manufacturing technology with regard to coaxiality and angular errors between an attachment providing a medium, such as a supply line such as a fuel rail, and the longitudinal bore of the cylinder head. Due to the long tolerance chain, inaccuracies in the positioning of the fuel attachment at the center point of the longitudinal bore accommodating the valve are relatively high and are unavoidable precisely in internal combustion engines with a plurality of cylinders. The "suspension design" of the suspension of the valve in combination with a spherical bearing and an optimized sealing component makes it possible to achieve an optimized sealing and transverse force-free installation of all valves over the entire length of the supply or distribution line even with large deviations in coaxiality, orientation and angular errors caused by manufacturing technology.

[0017] The present invention is preferably used in a blowing system that blows directly into a combustion chamber. In particular, the device is suitable for blowing hydrogen directly into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings:

[0019] Figure 1shows a schematic sectional view of a blowing device having two bearing locations for the valve in the upper suspension region and in the lower bearing region in the cylinder head,

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic perspective view of a blowing device in the upper suspension region with a plurality of cap-shaped retaining elements and an attachment to a distribution line in the form of a fuel rail and a schematically broken cylinder head,

[0021] Figure 3 A perspective view showing a first spherical body as part of a ball joint in the upper suspension region according to a first embodiment of the invention,

[0022] Figure 4 Show according to Figure 3 A top view of a first spherical body,

[0023] Figure 5 Shown along Figure 4 The cross-sectional view of the sphere at the VV line.

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic cross-sectional view showing an insufflation device in the upper suspension region according to a second embodiment of the invention,

[0025] Figure 7 Show according to Figure 6 A top view of a second spherical body, and

[0026] Figure 8 Shown along Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the spherical body taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Below, refer to Figures 1 to 8 A preferred embodiment of the injection device 1 according to the invention is described in detail. Preferably, it is an injection device 1 for injecting a gaseous fuel, in particular hydrogen, into a combustion chamber 3 of an internal combustion engine. In principle, the device configured according to the invention can alternatively also be used as an injection device 1 for injecting a liquid fuel into a combustion chamber 3 of an internal combustion engine, wherein from now on, only the injection device 1 will be mentioned below. In the following, alternative embodiments that are not shown in the figure are also mentioned.

[0028] The injection device 1 comprises at least one valve 2 for metering a fluid, in particular a gaseous fuel such as hydrogen, but also CNG, methane, ammonia, etc. The valve 2 is designed here as an injection valve 2 for direct injection into the combustion chamber 3. The gas to be injected flows through the valve 2. The gas enters the valve 2 via an inflow-side valve end 5, which can also be referred to as an injector, while the gaseous medium is metered, jet-shaped and provided at an outflow-side valve end 6 facing the combustion chamber 3.

[0029] The injection device 1 has two bearing locations for the valve 2 , wherein an upper suspension region of the valve 2 is provided on one side and a lower bearing region for the valve 2 in the cylinder head 10 is provided on the other side. Figure 1 Such an insufflation device 1 with two bearing points of the valve 2 is shown in a schematic sectional view.

[0030] In the upper suspension region of the valve 2, a metal-metal seal can be achieved between a separate spherical body 9 that can be fastened to the valve 2 and the two retaining elements 7 and 8 by virtue of the configuration as a spherical bearing, which metal-metal seal does not allow leakage even under high pressure. According to the invention, the spherical body 9 is shaped such that it can simultaneously achieve a bearing similar to a ball joint at the opening 15 of the first retaining element 7 and at the opening 20 of the second retaining element 8, as will be described in more detail below.

[0031] The valve 2 has a circumferential sealing ring 33 on its valve end 6 facing the combustion chamber 3, which is the second bearing point of the valve 2. Ideally, the sealing ring is a PTFE sealing ring, which is designed or inserted into the annular groove on the valve 2 in such a way that the sealing ring 33 is preferably also spherically supported due to the slight radial outward curvature of the sealing ring 33 in the installed state of the valve 2, so that under the extrusion pressure there is only an approximately linear support of the sealing ring 33 on the wall of the longitudinal bore 35 in the cylinder head 10 for accommodating the valve 2. In an advantageous manner, the diameter of the valve 2 at its valve end 6 is only slightly different from the diameter of the longitudinal bore 35. Therefore, in order to achieve an optimized support, the annular gap formed between the wall of the longitudinal bore 35 and the valve end 6 is only about 50 μm to 100 μm in its radial extension. Therefore, in a particularly advantageous manner, the lost volume in the longitudinal bore 35 of the cylinder head 10 close to the combustion chamber 3 is kept very small.

[0032] In the above-mentioned fastening scheme of valve 2, two bearing points are as far away from each other as possible. Determined by the installation side, valve 2 can even have a certain "bow shape" without introducing transverse forces generated by the clamping into valve 2.

[0033] like Figure 1As shown, as a main structural component according to the invention, the blowing device 1 advantageously comprises an upper suspension area, which has a first retaining element 7, a second retaining element 8 and a separate spherical body 9, which form an upper bearing point in the suspension area of ​​the valve 2. The first retaining element 7 is, for example, L-shaped in cross section, wherein the main feature of the retaining element 7 is that a through hole (not shown) is provided in the flange area 11, through which a connecting means, such as a screw 13, can be guided, by means of which the valve 2 can be clamped on the attachment part, in this case on the cylinder head 10. In addition to the longitudinally extending flange area 11, the first retaining element 7 also has a retaining area 14 extending as far as possible at right angles thereto, which retaining area has an opening 15 in order to enable the support of the spherical body 9. The opening 15 is a through hole, through which the valve 2 is supplied with the medium to be blown. In this case, the through hole can extend completely in the axial direction or can also be embodied at an angle in order to enable a lateral supply attachment part from the distribution line 34, as will be described later in Figure 2 The opening 15 is formed in a partial region such that a conically extending inner cone surface 16 is present.

[0034] In general, the first retaining element 7 is embodied in a hood-like manner and has an overall contour that is rounded on the periphery, which overall contour has, for example, a certain egg shape between a flat upper side and a lower side, or also a simple shape similar to a toy "Tumbler Toy" (English: Tumbler Toy) or a drop-like shape, wherein the wider extension of the retaining element 7 is located in the region of the spherical body 9 and the smaller extension of the retaining element 7 is located in the region of the screw 13. However, other contours are also conceivable, such as a rectangular configuration of the first retaining element 7.

[0035] The second lower retaining element 8 is designed in the form of a disk. The second retaining element 8 has two threaded holes 18, for example, which are arranged 180° opposite to each other, into which screws 19 can be screwed, which screws can be guided through matching through-holes 17 in the first retaining element 7. In this way, the two retaining elements, namely the first retaining element and the second retaining element 7, 8, can be clamped to each other by means of the screws 19. In addition to the fastening of the first retaining element 7 to the cylinder head 10 by means of the screws 13, the two fastening locations realized by means of the screws 19 also represent a statically safe solution; however, more or fewer fastening locations are also conceivable. The opening 20 of the second retaining element 8 is formed in a partial region like the opening 15 of the first retaining element 7, so that there is a conically extending inner conical surface 21, wherein the two tapers (conical surfaces 16 and 21) extend in opposite directions in their orientation, i.e., the conical widens in the first retaining element 8 and conically narrows in the second retaining element 8, as seen in the flow direction. The two conical surfaces 16 and 21 are spherical on both sides. The spherical body 9 , which is designed to be ground, together forms the upper bearing point.

[0036] A spherical bearing is understood to mean a bearing which is either a ball / cone bearing or is also designed like a joint head or like a ball joint with two spherically curved matching bearing surfaces, wherein the radius of the spherical curvature on the retaining elements 7, 8 is greater than the radius of the matching spherical body 9. Therefore, usually there are surfaces 16, 21 on both retaining elements 7, 8 that match the spherical body 9.

[0037] Figure 2 A schematic perspective view of the insufflation device 1 in the upper suspension region is shown with four cap-like retaining elements 7 and attachment to a distribution line 34 , which is embodied in the form of a fuel rail, and a schematically broken cylinder head 10 .

[0038] The four retaining elements 7 are provided with concavely curved, transversely extending grooves on the outer side facing the distribution line 34, which are used to safely and securely accommodate the cylindrical distribution line 34 with a circular cross section. In this respect, the retaining elements 7 are in shape-correct contact with the contour of the distribution line 34.

[0039] The distributor line 34 has transversely extending outflow holes for the fluid connection, which open directly into a also transversely extending partial section of the opening 15 in the retaining element 7. The retaining element 7 is fastened to the distributor line 34 in such a way that solder, in particular brazing solder, is introduced into the groove on the outside and subsequently brazed at a temperature between 450° C. and 900° C., but can also be brazed in a vacuum at up to about 1100° C., for example, in the HTL process.

[0040] Figures 3 to 5 FIG. 4 shows a separate spherical body 9 as a part in a first embodiment, wherein: Figure 3 is a three-dimensional diagram of the first spherical body 9, Figure 4 Shown according to Figure 3 A top view of the first spherical body 9, Figure 5 Shown along Figure 4 sectional view of the spherical body 9 taken along line VV in FIG.

[0041] In the embodiment shown, the spherical body 9 is designed according to the invention and in an advantageous manner as a separate spherical part. Here, the spherical body 9 has an inner longitudinal opening 25 through which flow can flow. At the downstream end, the longitudinal opening 25 has, for example, an internal thread 28, by means of which the spherical body 9 can be screwed onto the inflow-side valve end 5 of the valve 2. In addition to the threaded connection shown, other connection methods for fastening the spherical body 9 are also conceivable, such as welding. In this regard, the downstream end of the spherical body 9 usually forms a fastening area for connection to the valve 2.

[0042] The spherical body 9 is configured so that it has spherically curved contact surfaces 36 and 41 facing the two conical surfaces 16 and 21 of the first and second retaining elements 7 and 8 (i.e., the conical surface 16 of the first retaining element 7 and the conical surface 21 of the second retaining element 8). In the axially middle region, the convex spherical curved sections 37 and the flat sections 38 are alternated with each other when viewed on the periphery. In the illustrated embodiment, six convex spherical curved sections 37 and six flat sections 38 are provided respectively. Alternatively, more or fewer sections 37, 38 can also be formed. The flat sections 38 can achieve a very compact structure so that, for example, the screw 19 can be well integrated. In addition, the application of the screwing tool not shown can be achieved very well by means of this shaping of the spherical body 9. The spherical body 9 can be transformed into the desired contour either from a previously manufactured ball that can be very well reproducible or from a rod (Stangenmaterial).

[0043] The "spherical body 9" should be understood as a similar component that is approximately spherical, but the component does not have to be an ideal sphere, but can also have a shape according to Figures 3 to 5 The design feature described above has one or more inner holes and also has a partial area machined on the outer circumference. In particular, in the case of a spherical body 9 made of bar stock, a cylindrical extension similar to a nozzle can also remain on the downstream side of the spherical body 9 toward the valve 2. This axial extension will then start from the spherically curved lower contact surface 41 and extend specifically in the radial direction within the contact surface 41 as an integral axial protrusion (Fortsatz) of the spherical body 9. This axial nozzle-like extension of the spherical body 9 can, for example, have an internal thread 28 for a screw connection or can also form other types of fastening areas, for example for welding.

[0044] The upper suspension area of ​​the valve 2 is characterized in that it has a bearing part, which has a metal bearing part, which is implemented as a ball / cone connection between the spherical body 9 and the two conical surfaces 16 and 21 of the first and second retaining elements 7 and 8. In general, the spherical body 9 should be clearly understood as a convexly spherically curved body, the radius of which is not necessarily constant over the entire spherical body 9. It is even conceivable that different radii are set for each spherically curved contact surface 36 and 41 above and below the equator of the imaginary sphere, so that these spherical areas can cooperate with these conical surfaces in a way that is ideally matched to the inclination or conicity of the conical surfaces 16 and 21 to achieve an optimized support that reduces lateral forces. Thus, for example, the radius of the spherical area with the contact surface 36 facing the upper conical surface 16 can be smaller than the radius of the spherical area with the contact surface 41 facing the lower conical surface 21. The center point (rotation point) of the spherical area should ideally be located on the center axis of the spherical body 9.

[0045] For example, the upper end of the valve 2 can be provided with a plastic injection molding which protects the electrical connections 32 for an actuator (not shown) of the valve 2 .

[0046] The assembly is carried out in such a way that the second lower retaining element 8 is first placed on the valve 2 at the inflow-side valve end 5 of the valve, wherein the valve end 5 passes through the opening 20 of the second retaining element 8. Before the spherical body 9 is now attached to the valve 2, a sealing element should be advantageously inserted in the intermediate space for sealing the spherical body 9 relative to the valve 2. Ideally, the sealing element is a sealing disk 40, which seals on the valve 2. The sealing disk 40 can be implemented as a metal (for example Cu) or by an elastomeric synthetic material. An alternative to the sealing disk 40 can also be a disk-shaped or sleeve-shaped sealing element.

[0047] Subsequently, as shown, the ball 9 is fastened to the valve end 5 of the valve 2 either by a threaded connection with an internal thread of the ball 9 that matches an external thread on the valve 2 or by welding or a similar connection method.

[0048] Subsequently, the first upper holding element 7 is placed onto the spherical body 9 to form an upper suspension area. Figure 1 In the figure, the L-shaped profile of the first retaining element 7 in cross section becomes clear, in which the flange area 11 with at least one through hole for the screw 13 on the one hand and the retaining area 14 on the other hand extend as far as possible at right angles to each other. In this case, the retaining area 14 has an opening 15 required for a ball joint or a spherical bearing, which is in contact with the spherical body 9. The opening 15 is formed in a partial area so that there is an inner cone 16 extending conically. The angle enclosed by the cone 16 in the interior can be determined individually according to the size of the radius of the spherical body 9 cooperating therewith and the size of its radius at the contact surface 36 in a matching manner. In this case, the angle is in the range of 30° to 60°, in particular between 40° and 55°, preferably between 45° and 50°. The same applies to the angle of the cone 21 of the opening 20 in the lower retaining element 8.

[0049] For example, in the holding region 14 of the holding element 7, two through holes 17 are provided for passing two screws 19 so that the two holding elements 7 and 8 can be clamped together by means of matching threaded holes 18 in the second holding element 8. For example, the two through holes 17 are arranged in the holding region 14 as oppositely as possible around the opening 15.

[0050] After the upper retaining element 7 is placed, a line contact is formed between the retaining element 7 and the spherical body 9. The first retaining element 7 and the second retaining element 8 are connected to each other by means of two screws 19. The screws 19 can first be screwed on slightly. By tightening together, a ball joint is formed, which can provide a certain support for the valve 2 even in an inclined position. Since the first retaining element 7 has been safely and firmly attached to the distribution line 34 as described above, for example by brazing, after the threaded connection with the screws 19 is established, a complete fuel filling assembly (FCA, Fuel Charge Assembly) is already present, which includes the distribution line 34 and the necessary number of valves 2 and corresponding clamping units. After assembling these clamping units, the device consisting of the valve 2, the distribution line 34 and the corresponding retaining elements 7 and 8 can then be installed in the cylinder head 10 of the internal combustion engine, but it can also be installed on an injection test bench or other types of attachments.

[0051] Now, here, the valve 2 is oriented at the corresponding valve end 6 of the valve 2 relative to the wall of the longitudinal hole 35 via the bearing position on the sealing ring 33. The ball joint on the upper suspension area provides the necessary degree of freedom. Here, the valve 2 is not allowed to be pressed onto the cylinder head 10 in the axial direction, but these valves must be freely "suspended", which can be called a "suspended design" (suspended design), so that the support is only achieved by the lower sealing ring 33 and the upper ball joint. After the first retaining element 7 is firmly connected to the cylinder head 10 or to the corresponding (attached) body by means of screws 13, the screws 19 connecting the two retaining elements 7 and 8 can be tightened alternately. As a result, the valve 2 is finally firmly and safely connected to the fastening part of the retaining element 7. The number of screws 13, 19 can be changed according to space requirements and configuration.

[0052] exist Figure 6 , a schematic cross-sectional view of an insufflation device 1 in the upper suspension region according to a second embodiment of the invention is shown. This embodiment differs from the previously described embodiment in particular in that an additional seal is provided in the region of the spherical body 9 in which its upper contact surface 36 contacts the conical surface 16 of the first retaining element 7. The seal is achieved in that a circumferential groove 44 is introduced on the outer surface of the spherical body in the region of the upper contact surface 36 of the spherical body 9. An annular sealing element 45 can be inserted into this groove 44. Here, the width of the groove 44 is 2 mm to 3 mm and the depth is 1 mm to 2 mm.

[0053] Figure 7 Shown according to Figure 6 A top view of the second spherical body 9, and Figure 8 The spherical body 9 is shown according to Figure 79 through the line VIII-VIII in FIG. Here, in particular, the arrangement of the groove 44 on the spherical body becomes clear in the region of the upper contact surface 36 of the spherical body 9. Here, the circumferential groove 44 interrupts the spherically curved contact surface 36 approximately in the center, so that a sufficiently large spherical partial area of ​​the contact surface 36 remains below and above the groove 44 for the function of the ball joint.

[0054] Suitable materials for the annular sealing element 45 are synthetic materials such as EPDM, VMQ, FKM or VI or similar synthetic materials which enable a reliable sealing effect in a temperature range of −60° C. to +150° C., which is particularly advantageous in the case of media such as hydrogen.

[0055] In this embodiment as well, the two conical surfaces 16 and 21 of the retaining elements 7 and 8 form an upper spherical bearing point together with the spherically designed spherical body 9. The conical surfaces 16 and 21 are matched to the spherical body 9 in such a way that ideally a linear contact is produced as far as possible in the contact area of ​​the bearing point, wherein the linear contact should be located approximately centrally on the respective conical surface 16 and 21.

[0056] Figures 6 to 8 The background of the solution shown in is that, in particular in hydrogen engines, the topic of tightness and leakage is of particular importance. In internal combustion engines to date, sealing solutions for ball / cone threaded connections, cone / cone threaded connections and radially sealed O-rings are known. However, combining these two sealing solutions with the expansion of the "suspension" design represents a particularly advantageous and hitherto unknown solution. The sealing element 45 is installed on the spherically arched contact surface 36 of the spherical body 9, which allows the formation of two sealing locations adjacent to each other, which increase the safety and sealing properties in the attachment area of ​​the valve 2. In addition, the clamping force can be reduced compared to pure metal seals.

[0057] In the case of an optimized design, it is ensured that the metal sealing line on the contact surface 36 of the spherical body 9 is located radially inside the annular sealing element 45. The inner sealing line also has the advantage that the sealing element 45 is not directly loaded with hydrogen at full system pressure and temperature. In the case of extreme cooling of the hydrogen due to sudden unloading, the temperature of the hydrogen can theoretically drop to below -40°C. Due to the metal seal located radially in front of the sealing element 45, a kind of "throttling section" is obtained. As a result, the hydrogen is heated almost to the temperature of the components "valve 2 and retaining elements 7, 8". When attached to the internal combustion engine accordingly, the temperature of these components is significantly higher than the ambient temperature.

Claims

1. A spraying or blowing device, the spraying or blowing device having: At least one valve (2) for metering a fluid, in particular a fuel injection valve for injecting gaseous fuel into a combustion chamber (3) of an internal combustion engine, wherein: The valve (2) has an inflow-side valve end (5) which forms an inflow-side inlet for a fluid; and A first retaining element (7) and a second retaining element (8), wherein the first retaining element (7) has an opening (15) and the second retaining element (8) has an opening (20), wherein the opening (15) of the first retaining element (7) and the opening (20) of the second retaining element (8) are designed such that together with at least one ball section of the valve (2) a spherical bearing in the retaining elements (7, 8) is ensured, It is characterized in that A separate spherical body (9) which can be fastened to the valve (2) is provided, which has a spherically curved contact surface (36, 41), wherein the spherically curved contact surface (36, 41) cooperates with the surface (16) of the first retaining element (7) on the one hand and with the surface (21) of the second retaining element (8) on the other hand to form a spherical support.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The spherical body (9) can either be produced from a prefabricated sphere or can be transformed from a rod into the desired spherical contour.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The spherical body (9) has an inner longitudinal opening (25) through which flow can pass.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that A fastening region for connection to the valve (2) is provided at the downstream end of the spherical body (9).

5. The device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that The longitudinal opening (25) of the ball body (9) has an internal thread (28), by means of which the ball body (9) can be screwed onto the inflow-side valve end (5) of the valve (2).

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The spherical body (9) is designed such that, in an axially central region, convexly curved sections (37) and flat sections (38) alternate with one another, as seen on the periphery.

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that An additional sealing element (45) is integrated on the spherically curved upper contact surface (36) of the spherical body (9) which faces the first retaining element (7).

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that A circumferential groove (44) is introduced into the spherical body (9) in the region of its upper contact surface (36), into which the sealing element (45) can be inserted, and the groove is positioned so that a metallic seal can be additionally achieved radially in the groove (44) on the spherically curved upper contact surface (36).

9. The device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that As material for the annular sealing element (45) a plastic is used, for example EPDM, VMQ, FKM or VI.

10. The device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The opening (15) of the first retaining element (7) is formed in a partial region so that a conically extending inner conical surface (16) is present, and the opening (20) of the second retaining element (8) is formed in a partial region so that a conically extending inner conical surface (21) is present, wherein the two tapers extend in opposite directions with respect to their orientation, which results in a conical widening in the first retaining element (7) and a conical narrowing in the second retaining element (8) when viewed in the flow direction.

11. The device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The first holding element (7) and the second holding element (8) can be clamped relative to one another, in particular by means of screws (19), preferably by means of two screws (19), which are arranged opposite one another in the circumferential direction.

12. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least two first retaining elements (7) are provided which can be fixedly attached to the distribution line (34) before assembly with correspondingly matching second retaining elements (8), in particular by means of soldering.

13. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The first retaining element (7), the second retaining element (8) and the spherical body (9) together with the spherical support integrated therein form an upper suspension area for the valve (2), while the second support point of the valve (2) is formed at the lower valve end (6) in the area of ​​a sealing ring (33), which is in particular a sealing ring (33) made of PTFE.

14. The device according to claim 13, characterized in that The valve (2) can be inserted into a longitudinal bore (35) of a cylinder head (10), wherein the sealing ring (33) is supported on the wall of the longitudinal bore (35), and wherein the annular gap formed between the wall of the longitudinal bore (35) and the valve end (6) has a radial extension of only about 50 μm to 100 μm.

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