Gas Injector Free-Stroke Damping for Low-Wear Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas injectors for gaseous media, such as hydrogen or natural gas, experience significant wear and noise issues due to large strokes and high switching forces, particularly affecting sealing seats and stroke limiters.
Innovation Solution
A gas injector with a hydraulic damping device that includes a closing element, a return element, an actuator, and a free-travel arrangement, which provides damping only after a predetermined travel is covered, allowing for a compact and cost-effective design that reduces wear and noise during opening and closing processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hydraulic damping device is provided for gas injectors with large stroke, then wear on components is reduced, but the device becomes more complex and less compact
Solution Approach 1:
The damping device is segmented into two functional parts: a free-travel arrangement that allows initial movement without damping, and a hydraulic damping device that engages only after the free travel is completed. This segmentation allows the damping function to be applied only where necessary (during the final stage of motion near the sealing seat), reducing overall device complexity while maintaining wear protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The free-travel arrangement performs a preliminary action by allowing the closing element to complete a predetermined travel distance without damping engagement. This preliminary undamped movement enables rapid opening and initial closing, while the hydraulic damping device only engages after this preliminary phase, reducing the damping device size and complexity.
2Reliability
If damping is applied throughout the entire stroke, then wear is reduced, but noise behavior deteriorates due to excessive damping during rapid movement
Solution Approach 1:
The damping characteristic is made local by applying damping only to the final portion of the stroke where the closing element is near the sealing seat, while allowing the initial free-travel portion to proceed without damping. This local damping application protects the sealing seat from wear during the critical final approach while avoiding noise generation during the rapid initial movement phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping device is designed to be dynamic rather than static, automatically engaging and disengaging based on the position of the closing element. The free-travel arrangement allows the system to transition from an undamped state during initial movement to a damped state during the final approach, optimizing both noise reduction and wear protection dynamically.
3Ease of manufacture
If the damping device is made compact, then cost is reduced, but the damping effectiveness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of providing full damping throughout the entire stroke, the design applies partial damping only to the final portion of the movement. The free-travel arrangement covers a predetermined travel distance without damping, and the hydraulic damping device provides damping only for the remaining distance. This partial action approach reduces the damping device size and manufacturing cost while maintaining sufficient damping effectiveness for wear protection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively minimizes wear on components and improves noise behavior by limiting damping to the final stages of the opening and closing processes, enabling rapid injection and compact design.
Implementation Method 1
The damping is achieved by means of a fluid which, in a sealed hydraulic chamber of the damping device, carries out a damping process when the closing element is opened and/or closed
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a gas injector for injecting a gaseous medium, said gas injector comprising: a closing element (2) which opens and closes a passage opening (4) at a sealing seat (3); a resetting element (6) which resets the closing element (2) to a closed initial position; an actuator (5) which actuates the closing element (2); a hydraulic damping device (7) for damping a movement of the closing element (2), the hydraulic damping device (7) being designed to use a liquid to provide a damping effect in a closed hydraulic chamber (8); and a free-path arrangement (20) which is located between the closing element (2) and the hydraulic damping device (7) and is designed so that the movement of the closing element (2) is damped only after a predefined free path (S1) has been travelled.