Fuel injection valve
A fuel injection valve includes a valve seat, a valve element, and a plurality of swirl fuel injection passages. The plurality of swirl fuel injection passages are divided into a first swirl fuel injection passage group that forms a first spray and a second swirl fuel injection passage group that forms a second spray that is oriented in a direction different from a first direction.
1. A fuel injection valve comprising:
a valve seat;
a valve element that cooperates with the valve seat to open or close a fuel passage; and
a plurality of swirl fuel injection passages, disposed on a downstream side of the valve seat, for imparting a swirling force to fuel to thereby inject the fuel outside, each of the swirl fuel injection passages including:
a swirl chamber that imparts a swirling force to fuel;
a swirl chamber introduction passage that introduces fuel to the swirl chamber; and
an orifice, disposed in the swirl chamber, for injecting fuel outside, wherein,
when a rectangular coordinate system is imagined on an imaginary plane that extends perpendicularly to a central axis of the fuel injection valve and onto which the swirl fuel injection passage is projected, the rectangular coordinate system having a center of an inlet opening surface of the orifice as an origin and having an X-axis extending in parallel with a centerline of the swirl chamber introduction passage and being positive in a direction from an upstream side toward a downstream side of the swirl chamber introduction passage and a Y-axis extending perpendicularly to the X-axis and being positive in a direction away from the centerline,
when the positive direction of the X-axis is defined as 0° and an angular direction of rotation from an angular position of 0° toward the centerline of the swirl chamber introduction passage is defined as a positive angular direction, the orifice has an inclination direction set to fall within a range from 0° to at least 180°, both exclusive, the inclination direction being defined by a projection straight line representing a straight line that extends from the center of the inlet opening surface toward a center of an outlet opening surface of the orifice and that is projected onto the imaginary plane,
a part of the inlet opening surface of the orifice is formed in the swirl chamber introduction passage, and
the plurality of swirl fuel injection passages are divided into a first swirl fuel injection passage group that forms a first spray and a second swirl fuel injection passage group that forms a second spray that is oriented in a direction different from a first direction.
2. The fuel injection valve according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of swirl fuel injection passages are divided into a first swirl fuel injection passage group that forms a first spray and a second swirl fuel injection passage group that forms a second spray that is oriented in a direction different from a first direction.
3. The fuel injection valve according to claim 2 , wherein the swirl fuel injection passages constituting the first swirl fuel injection passage group and the swirl fuel injection passages constituting the second swirl fuel injection passage group are formed to be symmetrical with respect to a first plane that includes the central axis.
4. The fuel injection valve according to claim 3 , wherein
the swirl fuel injection passages are formed in a nozzle plate having an end face orthogonal to the central axis,
the swirl chamber introduction passage has a side on an upstream end disposed on a side of a center of the nozzle plate with respect to a side on a downstream end, and
the swirl chamber is connected with the side of the downstream end of the swirl chamber introduction passage and disposed on a side of an outer periphery of the nozzle plate with respect to the upstream end of the swirl chamber introduction passage.
5. The fuel injection valve according to claim 4 , wherein
the first swirl fuel injection passage group and the second swirl fuel injection passage group each include a second plurality of swirl fuel injection passages,
the swirl fuel injection passages constituting the first swirl fuel injection passage group are formed to be symmetrical with respect to a second plane that includes the central axis and that is orthogonal to the first plane, and
the swirl fuel injection passages constituting the second swirl fuel injection passage group are formed to be symmetrical with respect to the second plane.
6. The fuel injection valve according to claim 5 , wherein, when a straight line that represents the first plane projected onto the imaginary plane is denoted as a Y 1 -axis and a straight line that represents the second plane projected onto the imaginary plane is denoted as an X 1 -axis, the swirl fuel injection passages constituting the first swirl fuel injection passage group and the second swirl fuel injection passage group are disposed to be rotated about an intersection point at which the centerline crosses a side surface of the swirl chamber introduction passage such that, with respect to a condition in which a linear imaginary line segment that passes through the intersection point and a center of the nozzle plate overlaps the centerline on a single straight line, the orifice approaches the X 1 -axis.
7. The fuel injection valve according to claim 6 , wherein, in at least one out of the swirl fuel injection passages, the orifice has an inclination angle set to an angular range of 0° or 180° or greater.