Pump Unit Decoupling Mechanism for Ice Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-pressure water injection pumps in internal combustion engines are vulnerable to freezing at low ambient temperatures, which can damage the pump if ice forms in the working space, and there is a need for a simple method to protect the pump from such damage.
Innovation Solution
A mechanically operating separating device decouples the piston element from the camshaft, allowing it to remain stationary or locked in a rest position, preventing any movement and thus avoiding force transmission that could damage the pump due to ice, and can be actuated to resume operation when conditions are safe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pump is directly mechanically coupled to the camshaft and permanently driven, then the water injection system can operate continuously, but the pump is vulnerable to damage from ice formation in the working space at low temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The drive system is made dynamically controllable through a separating device that can switch between coupled and decoupled states. The piston element can be selectively decoupled from the camshaft when ice formation is detected, allowing the system to adapt its operation to prevent damage while maintaining simplicity during normal operation.
2Reliability
If the piston element is decoupled from the camshaft using a separating device, then the pump is protected from ice damage, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A separating device acts as an intermediary between the camshaft and piston element. This mediator component enables controlled decoupling when needed while maintaining the simple direct drive configuration during normal operation, thus protecting the pump without permanently complicating the drive system.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the separating device is used to switch off water injection in certain operating states, then the pump is protected and operation is optimized, but the control system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its operation based on detected conditions such as temperature and operating state. The separating device enables the pump to switch between active and inactive states, providing adaptability to different operating conditions without requiring a permanently complex control system.
Data Source
AI summary
The pump unit (10) has a separating device (26) which is arranged between camshaft (22) and a movable piston element (12) of a pump. A working space (14) is defined, when separating device is operated in preset state, so that the power transmission is performed from the camshaft to the movable piston element. The separating device is operated in different preset state, by which transfer of force between the camshaft and the movable piston element is stopped. A drive cam is rotated with camshaft to transmit synchronous movement to piston element.