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EP-4735753-A1 - A FUEL RAIL ASSEMBLY

EP4735753A1EP 4735753 A1EP4735753 A1EP 4735753A1EP-4735753-A1

Abstract

A fuel rail assembly (118) comprising: a fuel rail (120); an adaptor (126); a fuel supply line (160); and a releasable coupling arrangement (162) for releasably coupling the fuel supply line (160) to the adaptor (126). The fuel rail (120) comprises a fuel supply passage (122) by which fuel is supplied to said at least one fuel injector (124). The adaptor (126) comprises a body (128) including an inlet (130). The adaptor (126) is mounted to the fuel rail (120) such that the inlet (130) is in fluid communication with the fuel supply passage (122). The fuel supply line (160) comprises a fuel orifice (164). The fuel supply line (160) is releasably coupled to the adaptor (126) via the releasable coupling arrangement (162) such that the fuel orifice (164) is in fluid communication with the inlet (130) for supplying fuel from the fuel orifice (164) to the fuel supply passage (122) via the inlet (130).

Inventors

  • RANDLES, Thomas Peter
  • LIN, Chunxing
  • KHAN, SAIFULLAH

Assignees

  • JCB Research

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240626

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A fuel rail assembly for an internal combustion engine, the fuel rail assembly comprising: a fuel rail for supplying fuel to at least one fuel injector; an adaptor for connecting the fuel rail to an upstream fuel line; a first fuel supply line for supplying fuel to the adaptor; and a releasable coupling arrangement for releasably coupling the first fuel supply line to the adaptor; wherein the fuel rail comprises a fuel supply passage by which fuel is supplied to said at least one fuel injector; wherein the adaptor comprises a body including an inlet; wherein the adaptor is mounted to the fuel rail such that the inlet is in fluid communication with the fuel supply passage; wherein the first fuel supply line comprises a fuel orifice; wherein the first fuel supply line is releasably coupled to the adaptor via the releasable coupling arrangement such that the fuel orifice is in fluid communication with the inlet for supplying fuel from the fuel orifice to the fuel supply passage via the inlet.
  2. 2. The fuel rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the releasable coupling arrangement comprises a first locking member on the adaptor and a second locking member on the first fuel supply line, and wherein the first and second locking members are arranged to engage so as to releasably couple the first fuel supply line to the body.
  3. 3. The fuel rail assembly of claim 2, wherein the first locking member is fixed relative to the body, wherein the second locking member is moveable relative to the fuel orifice between unlocked and locked positions, wherein the first locking member comprises a first engaging surface, wherein the second locking member comprises a second engaging surface, and wherein the first and second engaging surfaces are engageable so as to releasably couple the fuel line to the body when the second locking member is in the locked position; optionally, wherein the second locking member is pivotable relative to the fuel orifice between the unlocked and locked positions.
  4. 4. The fuel rail assembly of claim 3, wherein the releasable coupling arrangement comprises a release mechanism configured to selectively move the second locking member between the unlocked and locked positions; optionally, wherein the release mechanism comprises a release member movable between a first position, in which the second locking member is retained in the locked position, and a second position in which the second locking member is moved to the unlocked position; optionally, wherein the release member is biased towards and/or selectively retained in the first position.
  5. 5. The fuel rail assembly of claims 3 or 4, wherein the releasable coupling arrangement is configured such that, when respective axes of the adaptor and the fuel line are substantially aligned, and the fuel orifice and the inlet are translated together along said respective axes, the second locking member moves over the first locking member such that the first and second engaging surfaces are engageable.
  6. 6. The fuel rail assembly of any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the releasable coupling arrangement comprises a plurality of the first locking members and a corresponding plurality of the second locking members; optionally, wherein the first locking members are distributed about a longitudinal axis of the body, and wherein the second locking members are distributed about a longitudinal axis of the first fuel supply line.
  7. 7. The fuel rail assembly of any one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising a guide arrangement configured to guide relative movement between the body and the first fuel supply line such that the first and second locking members are engageable so as to releasably couple the fuel line to the body; optionally, wherein the guide arrangement comprises a recess in the first fuel supply line configured to receive a protrusion of the adaptor, the recess and the protrusion having complementary profiles.
  8. 8. The fuel rail assembly of any preceding claim, further comprising a sealing arrangement between the first fuel supply line and the body configured to inhibit fuel exiting the fuel rail assembly via the releasable coupling arrangement; optionally, wherein the seal arrangement comprises a seal member, such as an O-ring; optionally, wherein the seal member is coupled to the fuel line.
  9. 9. The fuel rail assembly of claim 8, wherein the fuel orifice is received in the inlet, and the sealing arrangement is between an external surface of the first fuel supply line and a first internal surface of the body.
  10. 10. The fuel rail assembly of claim 9, wherein the body comprises a second internal surface for forming a seal between the body and a second fuel supply line for supplying fuel to the fuel rail during normal use of the engine, wherein the second internal surface is adjacent the first internal surface, and wherein the fuel rail assembly is configured such that the first fuel supply line is inhibited from contacting the second internal surface when the first fuel supply line is coupled to the body.
  11. 11. The fuel rail assembly of claims 7 and 10, wherein the guide arrangement is configured to inhibit the first fuel supply line from contacting the second internal surface.
  12. 12. The fuel rail assembly of claims 10 or 11, wherein the second internal surface is axially outboard of the first internal surface and/or is tapered.
  13. 13. A fuel rail assembly for an internal combustion engine, the fuel rail assembly comprising: a fuel rail for supplying fuel to at least one fuel injector; and an adaptor for connecting the fuel rail to an upstream fuel line; wherein the fuel rail comprises a fuel supply passage by which fuel is supplied to said at least one fuel injector; wherein the adaptor comprises a body including an inlet, wherein the inlet is couplable to said upstream fuel line; wherein the adaptor is mounted to the fuel rail such that the inlet is in fluid communication with the fuel supply passage; wherein the adaptor further comprises a fuel filter for filtering fuel flowing from the inlet to the fuel supply passage; and wherein the fuel filter is housed at least partially within the body.
  14. 14. The fuel rail assembly of claim 13, wherein the fuel filter is mounted to the body; optionally, where the fuel filter is releasably mounted to the body.
  15. 15. The fuel rail assembly of claim 14, wherein the fuel filter is elongate and comprises opposing first and second longitudinal ends, and wherein the first longitudinal end is mounted to the body; optionally, wherein the second longitudinal end is a free end.
  16. 16. The fuel rail assembly of claims 14 or 15, wherein the body comprises an outlet arranged such that fuel flows from the inlet to the outlet and then to the fuel supply passage, in use, and wherein the fuel filter is mounted to the outlet; optionally, wherein fuel flows from the inlet to the fuel filter, then to the outlet and then to the fuel supply passage, in use.
  17. 17. The fuel rail assembly of any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the fuel filter comprises an elongate filtering portion configured to filter fuel flowing from the inlet to the fuel passage, in use; optionally, wherein the body is elongate, and wherein a longitudinal axis of the body is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the filtering portion.
  18. 18. The fuel rail assembly of any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein a portion of the fuel filter is located within the fuel supply passage.
  19. 19. The fuel rail assembly of any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the adaptor comprises a sealing arrangement between the fuel filter and the body configured to inhibit fuel flowing from the inlet to the fuel supply passage bypassing the fuel filter; optionally, wherein the sealing arrangement comprises a seal member, such as an O-ring, and/or a sealant, between the body and the fuel filter.
  20. 20. The fuel rail assembly of any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein the fuel filter is wholly housed within the body.

Description

A FUEL RAIL ASSEMBLY FIELD The present teachings relate to a fuel rail assembly for an internal combustion engine, an internal combustion engine, and a method of releasably coupling a fuel supply line to a fuel rail of an internal combustion engine. BACKGROUND It is known to filter fuel (whether liquid or gaseous fuel) in internal combustion engines so as to remove contaminants (e.g. dust, dirt, foreign particles) from the fuel in order to maintain performance of the engine. For example, in fuel-injected internal combustion engines in which fuel is injected into a combustion chamber or an inlet tract upstream of a combustion chamber via one or more fuel injectors, filtering the fuel before the fuel is supplied to the one or more fuel injectors helps to maintain the durability and performance of the one or more fuel injectors, which are commonly prone to clogging and/or damage by contaminants in fuel. To filter fuel, internal combustion engines typically include a fuel filtering unit upstream of the combustion chambers and any fuel injectors. Such fuel filtering units commonly include a fuel filter housed within a dedicated housing. A problem with such fuel filtering units is that they tend to be relatively bulky, which increases the required space envelope of the engine and makes packaging of the engine more complex. Moreover, connections between the fuel filtering unit and the engine's fuel supply lines increases the number of leakage points in the engine prone to leaking fuel. The present teachings seek to overcome or at least mitigate one or more problems associated with the prior art. SUMMARY According to a first aspect of the present teachings, there is provided a fuel rail assembly for an internal combustion engine, the fuel rail assembly comprising: a fuel rail for supplying fuel to at least one fuel injector; and an adaptor for connecting the fuel rail to an upstream fuel line. The fuel rail comprises a fuel supply passage by which fuel is supplied to said at least one fuel injector. The adaptor comprises a body including an inlet. The inlet is couplable to said upstream fuel line. The adaptor is mounted to the fuel rail such that the inlet is in fluid communication with the fuel supply passage. The adaptor further comprises a fuel filter for filtering fuel flowing from the inlet to the fuel supply passage. The fuel filter is housed at least partially within the body. At least partially housing the fuel filter within the body allows the fuel rail assembly to be more compact than a fuel filter provided as part of a fuel filtering unit separate to the adaptor. In addition, the number of potential leakage points (i.e. points where different fuel line components are secured together) may be reduced relative to a fuel filter provided as part of such a separate fuel filtering unit. Housing the fuel filter within the adaptor, which is mounted to the fuel rail, advantageously allows the length of piping between the fuel filter and the one or more fuel injectors to be shorter relative to an arrangement where the fuel filter is separate to, and upstream of, the adaptor. A shorter length of piping helps to minimise the amount of contaminants in the fuel reaching the one or more fuel injectors, which are vulnerable to damage by fuel contaminants. The fuel filter may be mounted to the body. Advantageously, mounting the fuel filter to the body enables the fuel filter to be preassembled with the adaptor, easing assembly of the fuel rail assembly. The fuel filter may be releasably mounted to the body. Advantageously, releasably mounting the fuel filter to the body enables the fuel filter to be released from the body for inspection, maintenance or replacement. The fuel filter may be releasably mounted to the body via a releasable mounting arrangement including complementary screw threads on the body and the fuel filter. The body may be configured such that the fuel filter is receivable within the body via the inlet for mounting the fuel filter to the body. The fuel filter and the body may be configured such that the fuel filter is inhibited from passing through the inlet when mounting the fuel filter to the body. Advantageously, configuring the fuel filter and the body such that the fuel filter is inhibited from passing through the inlet when mounting the fuel filter to the body helps to inhibit users from removing the fuel filter from the body (e.g. to tamper with it), since a user may be required to conduct an additional process of removing the adaptor from the fuel rail before the fuel filter can be removed from the body. The fuel filter may be elongate and comprise opposing first and second longitudinal ends. The first longitudinal end may be mounted to the body. Advantageously, such a configuration simplifies assembly of the adaptor. The second longitudinal end may be a free end. The body may comprise an outlet arranged such that fuel flows from the inlet to the outlet and then to the fuel supply passage, i