High pressure electronic common-rail fuel injection system for diesel engines

Claim 1

An electromagnetically-actuated fuel pump for a diesel engine fuel injection means, comprising: a body adapted to receive fuel from a source; a rotatable camshaft supported in the body so as to be rotatable about an axis, and having a pair of cam lobes including a first cam lobe and a second cam lobe adapted to rotate in an annular path about the axis of rotation of the camshaft; at least one pair of reciprocating pumping elements mounted in the body perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the camshaft, each of said pumping elements including an elongated plunger having an axial passage including a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to a source of liquid fuel, structure slideably mounted on the plunger so as to form an expandible chamber at the second end of the axial passage, and being moveable either to enlarge or reduce the volume of the chamber depending upon the direction of relative motion of said structure and the plunger, tappet means connecting the camshaft to said structure such that as the chamber is being enlarged in volume, fuel is received therein, and as the chamber is being reduced in volume, fuel is discharged therefrom; and means for fluidly connecting the pumping elements to fuel injection means for passing fuel under pressure thereto in response to rotation of the camshaft.