Abstract:
A fuel injector is disclosed in which at least one electrically-controlled valve is arranged within an injector body and is connected to an injector body contact which is accessible from outside the injector body by at least one solid conductor having an essentially stable form under the influence of its intrinsic weight. The at least one solid conductor is run through at least one conductor channel and at least one alignment sleeve which may be completely or partly inserted in the at least one conductor channel and forces the at least one solid conductor completely or partly to adopt a given inclination to the injector axis and hence aligns the same.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is a 35 USC 371 application of PCT/EP 2005/056788 filed on Dec. 14, 2005. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   In fuel injection systems for direct-injection internal combustion engines, fuel injectors that contain one or more electrically triggerable valves are employed. For instance, an electrically triggerable magnet valve or piezoelectric valve may be provided for controlling a needle valve and thus for controlling the course of injection. Further valves may be used, for instance for a pressure boost. The electrical contacting of these valves, however, is often a challenge. 
   2. Prior Art 
   Since the electrically triggerable valve or valves are typically accommodated in the interior of an injector body, the electrical contacting of these electrically triggerable valves presents considerable technical difficulties. In many cases, on top of the injector body there is an electrical contact that can be connected to a corresponding control system and power supply system located outside the injector body. Via this contact (which may be either a multiple plug, or a plurality of individual plugs), all the electrically triggerable valves received in the interior of the injector body are as a rule triggered. In the interior of the injector body, this electrical contact must be connected to corresponding contacts of the electrically triggerable valve or valves of the injection system. This connection is typically done by means of flexible electrical cables and a simple soldering process. 
   This method for electrically contacting the electrically triggerable valves is associated with various disadvantages, however. For instance, the method is technically quite labor-intensive, since typically the cables must be initially soldered by hand against the corresponding electrical contacts. In practice, this method step requires great effort and is very time-consuming. Moreover, the connection between the electrically triggerable valves and the electrical contact on the injector body can be undone again only with difficulty. For removing or disassembling the injector body, the soldered connections must typically be unsoldered again. Such a labor-intensive process makes it uneconomical to repair the injectors or replace individual parts of the injector body. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to the invention, a fuel injector for injecting fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine and an orientation sleeve for use in a fuel injector of the invention and a method for producing a fuel injector of the invention are proposed, in which the above-described disadvantages of the prior art are avoided or reduced. The fuel injector has an injector body contact with an injector axis, at least one electrically triggerable valve let into the injector body, and at least one electrical injector body contact that is accessible from outside the injector body. At least one of the electrically triggerable valves should have at least one electrical valve body contact. 
   A fundamental concept of the present invention is to use a solid conductor for the electrical connection between the at least one valve contact and the at least one injector body contact, which solid conductor, in contrast to a simple cable or wire, does not become deformed under its own weight and is contactable via plug contacts, for instance, instead of a soldered connection. Slight plastic deformation of the solid conductor under its own weight and under additional exertion of force can be tolerated, if the design of the solid conductor remains substantially unchanged. The at least one solid conductor thus represents a kind of artificial lengthening of the electrical valve contacts. 
   However, the problem then is that the solid conductor when the fuel injector is put together must usually be guided through one or more conductor conduits, which in various regions or modules of the fuel injector can have different angles of inclination to the injector axis. Thus a solid conductor is extended out of a module at a first angle, for instance, and then on being guided into a conductor conduit of a second module, which has a different angle of inclination to the injector axis from the first angle of inclination, must be adapted to that first angle of inclination. This makes assembling the individual modules of the fuel injector more difficult. The angle adaptation can also lead to problems, particularly when the solid conductor is inserted into a plug contact that has only a slight angular tolerance. The fundamental concept of the invention to solve these problems of angle adaptation is to use at least one orientation sleeve. By means of this orientation sleeve, a predetermined inclination, such as 0L176\f“Symbol”\s12, to the injector axis is forced on the at least one solid conductor in at least one module, either entirely or in part. For instance, a solid conductor on being extended out of a conductor conduit of a module can be compelled to have the angle of inclination of the conductor conduit in an adjacent module or further module into which the solid conductor is then introduced. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention is described in further detail below in conjunction with the drawings. 
     Shown are: 
       FIG. 1 , a sectional view of a fuel injector having a magnet valve for nozzle needle control and a solid conductor for electrical connection of the magnet valve to an external injector body contact; 
       FIG. 2 , the magnet valve with its two electrical valve contacts and solid conductors secured to the valve contacts; 
       FIG. 3 , a sectional view of a detail of a line connection module to illustrate the problem of adapting the angle of inclination of the solid conductor; 
       FIG. 4 , a top view of an angle adaptation of two solid conductors by means of a prism; 
       FIG. 5 , a side view of an orientation of a solid conductor by means of a stop and a prism; 
       FIG. 6 , a sectional view of a detail of an injector body to illustrate the effect of an orientation sleeve; 
       FIG. 7 , one exemplary embodiment of an orientation sleeve; 
       FIG. 8 , a sectional view of a detail of an injector body before a solid conductor is inserted into a plug contact; 
       FIG. 9 , a sectional view of the detail of  FIG. 8  after the insertion of the solid conductor into the plug contact; 
       FIG. 10 , a flow chart of a method according to the invention for producing a fuel injector; 
       FIG. 11 , a sectional view of a second exemplary embodiment of an injector body with a double orientation sleeve; 
       FIG. 12 , a perspective view of the double orientation sleeve show in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 11 ; and 
       FIG. 13 , a perspective view of the insertion operation of the double orientation sleeve, shown in  FIG. 12 , into a conductor conduit, embodied as an oblong slot, in the sealing plate of the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 11 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   In  FIG. 1 , an overall view of an injector body  110  for a common rail injection system is shown. The injector body  110  can be disassembled at the parting lines  124 ,  126 ,  128  and  130  into essentially five function modules, namely one control module  132 , one sealing plate  134 , one line connection module  136 , one pressure booster module  138 , and one nozzle module  140 . The pressure booster module  138  serves essentially to boost a fuel pressure (for instance, 1000 bar), which is made available at the fuel injector from an external pressure source, for instance via a high-pressure collection chamber (common rail) to a second pressure (for instance 2200 bar), so that two operating pressures are available for the injection event. 
   The injector body  110  furthermore has a first magnet valve  111 , disposed in the control module  132 , for controlling the pressure boost in the pressure booster module  138 , and a second magnet valve  112 , disposed in the nozzle module  140 , for controlling the actual injection event via an injection valve member (not shown). 
   The separation between the control module  132  and the rest of the injector body  110  along the first parting line  124  is of considerable practical significance. This separability or disconnectability has the effect that the (“dry”) control module  132  and the (“wet”) part of the injector body  110  located below the first parting line  124  can be designed, produced and tested separately, and then put together. Moreover, because of this separability, individual components of the injector body  110  can easily be replaced for maintenance purposes, for instance. 
   The magnet valve  112  in the nozzle module  140  is electrically triggerable via two electrical valve contacts  114 . The injector body  110 , on its upper end, has an electrical injector body contact  116  that is accessible from above. In the modular construction of the injector body  110  as shown, the capability of breaking down the injector body  110  and of simple modular assembly is achieved by providing that the valve contacts  114  be connected electrically to the injector body contact  116  in such a way that simple assembly and capability of breaking down the injector body continue to be assured. 
   In this exemplary embodiment, for connecting the two electrical valve contacts  114  to the injector body contact  116 , two conductor conduits  120  are provided, which extend through the modules  138 ,  136  and  134 . The conductor conduits  120  are formed by bores in the pressure booster module  138 , in the line connection module  136 , and in the sealing plate  134 . Once the injector body  110  has been put together, these bores are each aligned at the parting lines  128  and  126 , so that the result is a single, continuous conductor conduit  120 . 
   The individual bores of the conductor conduit  120 , in this exemplary embodiment, in the various modules  138 ,  136 ,  134  each have a rectilinear course. With the provisions of the invention, a curved course of the bores can also be achieved. However, the bores in the individual modules  138 ,  136 ,  134  do have a different inclination relative to an injector axis  142 . While the conductor conduit  120  in the pressure booster module  138  has an inclination of 1° to the injector axis  142 , the inclination in the line connection module  136 , in this exemplary embodiment, is 2.2°. These different angles of inclination relative to the injector axis  142  are due to the fact that the injector body  110  tapers in its cross section toward the bottom, that is, from the control module  132  to the nozzle module  140 . 
   The connection between the two electrical valve contacts  114  of the magnet valve  112  and the injector body contact  116  is effected, in this exemplary embodiment, in part via two solid conductors  118 . The solid conductors  118  extend through the two conductor conduits  120  and connect the valve contacts  114  to electric plug contacts  122 , which in turn are connected to the injector body contact  116  via an electrical connection  144  (for instance, two cables each soldered at one end to an electric plug contact  122  and at another end to the injector body contact  116 ). The solid conductors  118  are thus fixedly or detachably connected electrically to the valve contacts  114 , for instance via a welded connection or a plug-in connection. 
   The connection of the solid conductors  118  to the plug contacts  122  is done reversibly, so that this connection can be made upon assembly of the injector body  110  by simply pressing the solid conductors  118  into the plug contacts  122 . Conversely, in the event of maintenance, the solid conductors  118  can be easily removed from the plug contacts  122  again, and thus the injector body  110  can be broken down again without having to unsolder electrical connections. The solid conductors  118  are selected to be rigid enough that on the one hand they do not substantially change their shape under their own weight, and can thus be easily threaded through the conductor conduits  120  with their different inclinations to the injector axis  142  and plugged into the plug contacts  122 . The solid conductors should have a certain plasticity, so that no mechanical stresses arise either at the transition between portions of the conductor conduits  120  that have different angles of inclination. The term “solid conductor” does not necessarily narrow the choice of materials to solid materials; on the contrary, hollow conductors (tubes) may for instance also be used as solid conductors  118 , as long as they have sufficient mechanical rigidity. 
   Particularly on insertion of the solid conductors  118  into the plug contacts  122 , or upon putting together the individual modules  132 ,  134 ,  136 ,  138 ,  140 , however, the varying inclination of the conductor conduit  120  in the various modules presents problems. Typically, the individual modules  132 ,  134 ,  136 ,  138 ,  140  are put together by means of a motion and an exertion of force parallel to the injector axis  142 . Thus the inclination of 2.2° of the solid conductors  118  in the line connection module  136 , for instance, upon insertion of the solid conductors  118  into the plug contacts  122 , which are disposed in portions of the conductor conduits  120  in the control module  132  that extend at an angle of 0° to the injector axis  142 , presents difficulties. For optimized insertion of the solid conductors  118  into the plug contacts  122 , the solid conductors  118  would have to extend parallel to the injector axis  142 . This problem is overcome according to the invention, in this exemplary embodiment, by providing that the two solid conductors  118  are compelled to have a parallel course to the injector axis  142  by means of a respective orientation sleeve  146  (described in further detail below). Instead of two orientation sleeves  146 , a single orientation sleeve  146  may also be used, which orients the two solid conductors  118  simultaneously. 
   The orientation sleeves  146  are thrust partway into the conductor conduits  120  in the line connection module  136 , in such a way that the ends of the solid conductors  118  are thrust through the orientation sleeves  146 . A parallel course to the injector axis  142  imposed on the ends of the solid conductors  118 , which without orientation sleeves  146  would emerge from the conductor conduits  120  at an angle of inclination of 2.2° to the injector axis  142 . After the modules  134  and  136  have been put together, the orientation sleeves  146  protrude partway into the conductor conduits  120  (extending parallel to the injector axis  142 ) in the sealing plate  134 . 
   In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the solid conductors  118  may have a diameter of one millimeter, and as their material they may be formed of or contain CuSn6 with a Brinell hardness of between 80 and 90 HB, a material that is otherwise used as a welding additive, for instance. Alternatively, however, CuAl8, CuAl8Ni2, CuAl8Ni6, CuAl9Fe, CuMn13Al7, CuSi3, CuSn, copper, or nickel silver, for instance, can also be used. These materials meet the aforementioned requirements in terms of hardness and plasticity and moreover are easily joined to the valve contacts  114  by welding. The hardness of the materials should be between 50 and 100 HB, preferably between 60 and 95 HB, and especially advantageously between 75 and 90 HB. 
   In  FIG. 2 , the magnet valve  112  is shown along with two solid conductors  118 , each 127 mm long, which are connected to the valve contacts  114 . The connection between the solid conductors  118  and the valve contacts  114  is sheathed in this case with an electrically insulating thermoplastic  210  and is therefore not visible in this perspective view. As the thermoplastic, besides other alternatives, PPS or PA may for instance be used, in particular glass-fiber-filled PPS or PA (such as PPS GF 30 or PA 66 GF 30), and the glass-fiber filling here additionally increases the mechanical stability of the connection. The electrically insulating thermoplastic  210  increases the dimensional stability of the connections between the valve contacts  114  and the solid conductors  118 . This additionally assures that the solid conductors  118  will essentially maintain their alignment, which in the assembly of the injector body  110  makes it easier for the solid conductors  118  to be passed through the conductor conduits  120  of the individual modules  138 ,  136 ,  134  and then inserted into the plug contacts  122 . The thermoplastic  210  also insulates the connecting points from one another, so that short circuits cannot occur between the valve contacts  114 . In comparison to conventional flexible wire or cable connections, the assembly of the injector body  110  is thus greatly simplified. 
   The solid conductors  118  in this exemplary embodiment are also relatively sheathed with shrink-fit hoses  212 . The shrink-fit hoses  212  insulate the solid conductors  118  electrically from the walls of the conductor conduits  120  of the injector body  110 . To economize on costs, the shrink-fit hoses  212  are not shrunk onto the solid conductors  118  in their entirety, but rather only in some portions. The shrink-fit hoses  212  extend upward from the electrically insulating thermoplastic  210 . Alternatively to a shrink-fit hose  212 , rigid or elastic electrically insulating plastic sleeves, for instance, can also be used as electric insulators for the solid conductors  118 . The electrical insulation, particularly of the shrink-fit hose  212 , however, ends in each case below the upper ends  214  of the solid conductors  118 , so that the upper ends  214  of the solid conductors  118  are not sheathed in an electrically insulating way and can be plugged in an electrically connecting way into the plug contacts  122 . In this way, without a complicated soldering or welding process, by simply putting the segments of the injector body  110  together, an electrically conductive connection between the valve contacts  114  and the injector body contact  116  can be made. On the other hand, the injector body  110  can easily be dismantled again for maintenance purposes, with the plug connection  122  disconnected from the solid conductors  118  again simply by the exertion of force. Unsoldering or disconnecting the connection in some other way is not necessary, since the connection is reversible. 
   In  FIG. 3 , a sectional view of a detail of the line connection module  136  is shown, in conjunction with which the problems described above of adapting the angles of inclination will be made clear. 
   The line connection module  136  has a substantially cylindrical conductor conduit  120 , with a diameter D of 2 mm. This conductor conduit  120  is inclined by an angle α of 2.2° relative to the injector axis  142 . The line connection module  136  has a height h of 40.8 mm, and on its upper end  310 , oriented toward the sealing plate  134 , it has an annular shoulder  312 . The conductor conduit  120 , at a length of x=15 mm from the upper end  310  oriented toward the sealing plate  134 , is widened at  314  to a diameter d of 3 mm. In the region of this widened portion  314  to a diameter of d=3 mm, the angle of inclination of the conductor conduit  120  also changes relative to the injector axis  142 , since in this widened region  314 , the conductor conduit  120  extends parallel to the injector axis  142 . 
   A solid conductor  118  extends through the conductor conduit  120 . The solid conductor  118  is electrically insulated from the line connection module  136  by means of a shrink-fit hose  212  (see  FIG. 2 ). The upper end  214  of the solid conductor  118 , in this exemplary embodiment, protrudes out of the line connection module  136  by a height h′=10.5 mm. Because of the described geometry of the conductor conduit  120 , the upper end  214  of the solid conductor  118  may, in the least favorable case, have an angle of inclination β to the injector axis  142  of 2.8°. The upper end  214  of the solid conductor  118 , which is also rounded for easier insertion into the plug contacts  122 , in this geometry has a circle of throwout with a diameter of 3.0 mm. This circle of throwout is too large in its diameter for it to be capable of being reliably received by the plug contacts  122 . 
   In  FIGS. 4 and 5 , one possible provision is shown by means of which, upon joining the individual modules  136 ,  134  and  132  together, the problem of angle adaptation of the solid conductors  118  can be overcome. In  FIG. 4 , the line connection module  136  with solid conductors  118  protruding from the conductor conduits  120  is shown in top view, and in  FIG. 5  it is shown in a side view. Before the sealing plate  134  (not shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 ) and the line connection module  136  are put together, the ends  214  of the solid conductors  118  are plastically deformed by means of a prism  410  and a mechanical stop  412 . To that end, the solid conductors  118 , near where they emerge from the conductor conduits  120 , are first fixed in their position by means of the stop  412 , a force being exerted against the solid conductors  118  in the direction of the arrow  414 . Next, the upper ends  214  of the solid conductors  118  are inserted into two grooves  416  of the prism  410 , and a force is exerted on the ends  214  of the solid conductors  118  in the deformation direction  418  by means of the prism  410 . The ends  214  of the solid conductors  118  are plastically deformed, whereupon the angle of inclination relative to the injector axis  142 , previously γ=2.2°, now orients itself to a parallel course to the injector axis  142 . 
   The method shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  has the disadvantage that the solid conductors  118  must be plastically deformable. Moreover, positioning the prism  410  and the stop  412  is complicated in terms of equipment and can often be done only manually. Thus the method shown often proves in practice to be inadequate. 
   In  FIGS. 6 through 9 , a preferred disposition and a preferred method are therefore shown in which the adaptation of the angles of inclination of the solid conductors  118  is done by means of two orientation sleeves  146 .  FIG. 6  shows a sectional view of the entire course of the conductor conduit  120 , from the valve contacts  114  to the plug contacts  122 . In  FIG. 7 , a sectional view of an orientation sleeve  146  is shown. In  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the joining together of the line connection module  136 , sealing plate  134 , and control module  132  by means of the orientation sleeve  146  is shown. 
   As already explained above in conjunction with  FIG. 2 , in this exemplary embodiment two solid conductors  118  are joined to the valve contacts  114  of a magnet valve  112  (not shown in  FIG. 6 ). These solid conductors  118  are inserted successively in the insertion direction  610  through the conductor conduits  120  of the pressure booster module  138 , the line connection module  136 , the sealing plate  134 , and the control module  132 . The conductor conduits  120  have an angle of inclination of 1.0° to the injector axis  142  in the region of the pressure booster module  138 , an angle of inclination of 2.2° in the region of the line connection module  136 , and a parallel course to the injector axis  142  in the region of the sealing plate  134  and of the control module  132 . The orientation of the solid conductors  118  between the line connection module  136 , the sealing plate  134 , and the control module  132  is effected in this exemplary embodiment by means of the orientation sleeve  146 , which is inserted into the widened region  314  of the conductor conduits  120  on the upper end of the line connection module  136 . 
   In  FIG. 7  one exemplary embodiment of an orientation sleeve  146  is shown. The orientation sleeve  146  externally has a cylindrical shape; the ends  710  of the orientation sleeve  146  are chamfered to make it easier to insert the orientation sleeve  146  into the widened regions  314  of the conductor conduits  120 . In this exemplary embodiment, the orientation sleeve  146  is made from an electrically insulating plastic, such as (glass-fiber-filled, for instance) PP or PA66 GF35, PA66 GF 30, PPS GF35, or PPS GF30. Alternatively, a ceramic material may for instance be used. The orientation sleeve  146  in this exemplary embodiment is furthermore mirror-symmetrical to a mirror plane  712 . This makes the assembly of the fuel injector considerably easier, since the risk of mistaking the two ends of the orientation sleeve  146  for one another, which in an asymmetrical orientation sleeve  146  could lead to incorrect assembly, is eliminated (“Poka Yoke”). 
   A bore that is rotationally symmetrical to a sleeve axis  714  is located in the interior of the orientation sleeve  146 . The bore is subdivided into two outer catch regions  716  and one inner orientation region  718 . In the area of the orientation region  718 , the bore has a cylindrical course that is parallel to the sleeve axis  714 . The catch regions  716  initially have a first conical region  720  with an opening angle of 30°, in this exemplary embodiment (that is, an inclination of the wall by 15° to the sleeve axis  714 ). This is adjoined by a cylindrical region  722  with a larger diameter than the bore of the orientation region  718 . In cylindrical region  722 , with the solid conductor  118  inserted, the end of the shrink-fit hose  212  can for instance be received, so that the solid conductor  118  is insulated electrically continuously relative to the fuel injector. The cylindrical region  722  is finally adjoined by a second conical region  724 , which opens directly into the orientation region  718 . In this second conical region  724 , the tube wall in this exemplary embodiment again has an opening angle of 30° (that is, again an angle of 15° to the sleeve axis  714 ). As described above, the orientation sleeve  146  may also be designed as a double orientation sleeve  146 ; two orientation sleeves, for instance, from the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 7  are joined parallel to one another, and the sleeve axes  714  are spaced apart in such a way that they match the spacing of the conductor conduits  120 . 
   In  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the assembly of the control module  132 , sealing plate  134 , and line connection module  136  is shown. In  FIG. 8 , the fuel injector is shown before the joining together is done; the sealing plate  134  has already been placed on the control module  132 , but the sealing plate  134  is still separated from the line connection module  136  along the parting line  126 . In  FIG. 9 , all the modules are shown put together. For the assembly, first the solid conductor  118  is thrust through the conductor conduits of the pressure booster module  138  (see  FIG. 6 ) and of the line connection module  136 . The shrink-fit hose  212 , which electrically insulates the solid conductor  118  from the injector body  110 , ends here at the point  810 . Next, the orientation sleeve  146  is thrust into the widened region  314  of the conductor conduit  120  of the line connection module  136 , so that the upper end  214  of the solid conductor  118  protrudes through the orientation sleeve  146  and is oriented parallel to the injector axis  142 . The orientation sleeve  146  protrudes out of the line connection module  136  here. 
   The upper ends  214  of the solid conductors  118 , which are now oriented parallel to the injector axis  142 , can be inserted, after this orientation by the orientation sleeve  146 , in the insertion direction  610 , parallel to the injector axis, through the sealing plate  134  into the plug contacts  122 . These plug contacts are in turn electrically conductively connected via the electrical connections  144  to the injector contact  116  on the top end of the fuel injector. When the line connection module  136 , sealing plate  134  and control module  132  are put together, the end of the orientation sleeve  146  that protrudes from the line connection module  136  is thrust through the conductor conduit  120  in the sealing plate  134  into the conductor conduit  120  of the control module  132 . The upper end  214  of the solid conductor  118  is also inserted into the plug contact  122 . Before the assembly one O-ring  812  each is also inserted, upstream of the plug contacts  122 , into the conductor conduits  120  of the control module  132 . This O-ring  812  prevents fuel, particularly diesel oil, from being able to penetrate into the control module  132 . Thus the “wet region” of the modules  134 ,  136 ,  138  and  140  is partitioned off from the “dry” control module  132  by the O-rings  812 . After the modules  132 ,  134  and  136  are joined together, these modules are screwed together by means of a union nut  1110 . For maintenance purposes, this screw connection and the electrical plug-in connection of the solid conductor  118  and the plug contact  122  can easily be undone again, so that individual modules can for instance be replaced or checked in a simple way and without requiring unsoldering. 
   In  FIG. 10 , a flow chart of a method of the invention for producing a fuel injector of the invention is shown. However, the method is not limited to the steps shown, and additional method steps, not shown in  FIG. 10 , may also be performed. The method can also be performed in a different order from that shown. The method can be made clear for instance on the basis of the arrangements shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . 
   First, in a first method step  1010 , a first module, such as the control module  132 , of the fuel injector is produced. The first module  132  should have at least one injector body contact  116 . Next, in method step  1012 , a second module is produced, which may for instance be the nozzle module  140 . This second module  140  should have at least one electrically triggerable valve  112  with at least one electrical valve contact  114 . Next, in method step  1014 , the at least one electrical valve contact  114  is joined to at least one electrical solid conductor  118  that is essentially dimensionally stable under its own weight. Then in method step  1016 , by means of at least one orientation sleeve  146 , a predetermined inclination to the injector axis  142  is imposed on the at least one solid conductor  118 , entirely or in part. Next, the two modules  132 ,  140  are joined directly or indirectly (see for example  FIGS. 8 and 9 ) to an injector body  110 ; the at least one solid conductor  118  is reversibly joined directly or indirectly (that is, for instance via an electrical connection  144 ) to the at least one injector body contact  116  in method step  1018 . 
   The described arrangement in one of its embodiments and the described method of the invention for producing the fuel injectors represent a considerable improvement over conventional methods and arrangements, in which electrical cables are used for connection between the valve contacts  114  and the injector body contacts  116 . Complicated soldering processes and tedious passing of cables through the individual modules of the injector body  110  are thus dispensed with. The processes of assembling the fuel injectors and corresponding maintenance of the fuel injectors are thus greatly simplified. 
   In  FIGS. 11 through 13 , a second exemplary embodiment of a fuel injector of the invention is shown in a fragmentary sectional view. Once again, the fuel injector has an injector body  110 , which is constructed in modular fashion and can be dismantled along the parting lines  124 ,  126 ,  128  and  130  into a control module  132 , a sealing plate  134 , a line connection module  136 , a pressure booster module  138 , and a nozzle module  140 . Again, as already in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the fuel injector has a magnet valve  112 , which is disposed in the nozzle module  140  and can be electrically contacted via two valve contacts  114  (located one after the other in  FIG. 11 ). These valve contacts  114  are joined to electrical plug contacts  122  via solid conductors  118 , which again extend through corresponding conductor conduits  120 . In this exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 11 , in contrast to the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1 , instead of a single orientation sleeve  146 , a double orientation sleeve  146  is used. This double orientation sleeve  146 , which is shown in perspective in  FIG. 12 , is capable of orienting the two solid conductors  118  simultaneously. In terms of its construction, the double orientation sleeve  146  show in  FIGS. 11 and 12  is designed similarly to the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 7 , but only half of the orientation sleeve  146  of  FIG. 7  is used (for instance, the half to the left of the mirror plane  712 ). Instead, two of these “half” orientation sleeves  146  are joined together parallel, so that the two solid conductors  118  are oriented simultaneously. Once again, the orientation sleeve  146  substantially has two regions, that is, a catch region  716  and an orientation region  718 . Again, as already in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 7 , the catch region  716  serves to increase the “interception tolerance”, or in other words the tolerance of the angle at which the orientation sleeve  146  is capable of receiving a solid conductor  118  that enters the orientation sleeve at an angle to the injector axis  142 . For this purpose, the catch region  716  once again has a larger diameter than the solid conductor  118 . Moreover, the diameter in the catch region  716  is so great that the shrink-fit hose  212  of the solid conductors  118  can also be received with them in this catch region  716 . The shrink-fit hose  212  ends in this catch region  716  of the orientation sleeve  146 . Thus a continuous insulation of the solid conductor  118  relative to the injector body  110  is assured. The orientation region  718  includes a substantially cylindrical region, in which a direction parallel to the injector axis  142  is forced upon the solid conductor  118 . 
   Unlike the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1 , however, in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 11  the orientation sleeve  146  is inserted not into the line connection module  136 , but into a conductor conduit  120  in the sealing plate  134 . In this case, as shown in  FIG. 13 , this conductor conduit  120  is designed as a common conductor conduit  120  for both solid conductors, or in other words in the form of an oblong slot  120 . In the remainder of the injector body  110 , the two conductor conduits  120  of the two solid conductors  118  are embodied as separate bores, however. In this exemplary embodiment, the conductor conduits  120  have an inclination of 1° relative to the injector axis  142  in the region of the pressure booster module  138 , an inclination of 1.795° each to the injector axis in the region of the line connection module  136 , and finally an inclination of 0° in the sealing plate  134 . 
   For the assembly of the fuel injector in  FIG. 11 , the solid conductors  118  are first joined to the valve contacts  114 . Next, the line connection module  136  and the pressure booster module  138  are joined to one another (for instance by a union nut). Then the line connection module  136  and the pressure booster module  138  are placed together on the nozzle module  140 , whereupon the solid conductors  118  are thrust through the conductor conduits  120  of the pressure booster module  138  and of the line connection module  136 . Next, the pressure booster module  138  is joined to the nozzle module  140 , for instance once again by a union nut. 
   Regardless of this, the control module  132  is prepared for a connection to the line connection module  136 . To that end, the O-rings  812 , as can be seen particularly in  FIG. 13  and  FIG. 11 , are thrust into the conductor conduits  120  of the control module  132 , so that these O-rings  812  come to rest directly upstream of the plug contacts  122  and seal them off against the penetration of fuel. Next, the sealing plate  134  is placed on the control module  132  and joined to it via a union nut  1110 . Next, the double orientation sleeve  146 , as shown in  FIG. 13 , is inserted into the conductor conduit  120  (oblong slot) of the sealing plate  134 . The double orientation sleeve  146  preferably ends flush with the surface, oriented toward the second parting line  126 , of the sealing plate  134  or may protrude slightly past it. A slight countersinking of the double orientation sleeve  146  into the sealing plate  134  is also conceivable. 
   Next, the control module  132  with the sealing plate  134  placed on it and the inserted orientation sleeve  146  is mounted on the line connection module  136 . In this operation, as described above, the solid conductors  118  that emerge from the line connection module  136  at an angle of 1.795° each (still other angular positions are understood to be possible) are engaged by the catch regions  716  of the double orientation sleeves  146  and oriented by the orientation regions  718  of the double orientation sleeve  146  to an angle of 0° to the injector axis  142 , so that the solid conductors  118  can pass through the O-rings  812  to enter the plug contacts  122 , where they can enter into an electrical connection, for instance by nonpositive engagement, with the plug contacts  122 , thereby creating an electrical connection between the valve contacts  114  and the injector body contact  116 . The placement of the unit comprising the control module  132  and the pressure booster  134  on the unit comprising the line connection module  136 , the pressure booster module  138 , and the nozzle module  140  is done by blind joining, since because of the use of the double orientation sleeve  146 , adjustment of the solid conductors  118  is no longer required. 
   The foregoing relates to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, it being understood that other variants and embodiments thereof are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, the latter being defined by the appended claims.