Fuel pumping apparatus

Claim 1

A fuel pumping apparatus for supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine comprising a pumping plunger reciprocable within a bore, said plunger when inward movement is imparted thereto displacing fuel from a pumping chamber defined in part by the inner end of the bore, an outlet communicating with the pumping chamber said outlet in use being connected to an injection nozzle of the associated engine and valve means operable to allow fuel to escape from said pumping chamber during the inward movement of the plunger thereby to control the amount of fuel which flows through said outlet, said valve means comprising a valve member movable into contact with a seating to prevent escape of fuel from said pumping chamber, said valve member being held in contact with said seated by the pressure of fuel in said pumping chamber while fuel is being supplied through said outlet, resilient means for biasing said valve member away from the seating, a piston member slidable in a cylinder, one end of said cylinder being connected to said pumping chamber, said cylinder having an end wall at said one end thereof, said piston member and said end wall when the piston member is in contact with the end wall defining a closed recess, two way valve means operable to connect said recess to a low pressure source or to said one end of the cylinder, the arrangement being such that during delivery of fuel through said outlet, when said two way valve means is operated to connect said recess to said one end of the cylinder the piston member will move in said cylinder away from said end wall, means whereby the motion of the piston member will be transmitted to said valve member to lift the valve member from the seating thereby to allow fuel to escape from said pumping chamber, further resilient means biasing the piston member towards said end wall, said valve means including a head engageable with the seating, the head in the open position of the valve engaging an end wall of a cylinder housing the valve member, a recess defined between the head of the valve member and the last said end wall when said valve member is in the open position, and further two way valve means operable to connect said last named recess with the pumping chamber when it is required to close the valve.