Patent ID: 6874475

Claim:
A fuel injector for an internal combustion engine comprising: a housing to be installed in the engine with a portion of the housing exposed outside the engine, an actuator including an electrically deformable element which works to be deformed in response to input of an electric signal for opening and closing a spray hole selectively, a structural element installing said actuator in said housing detachably, wherein said housing has formed therein a vertical chamber which has an opening oriented to a first end of said housing exposed outside the engine, said structural element includes a fastening member which retains said actuator detachably within the vertical chamber, and a nozzle needle disposed in alignment with said actuator within a chamber formed in said housing opposite the first end across the vertical chamber so as to be moved in a lengthwise direction of said housing by the deformation of said actuator to open and close the spray hole selectively, wherein said actuator has a length with a first end oriented toward the first end of said housing, and further comprising a spacer disposed between a flange coupled with the first end of said actuator and a shoulder formed in said housing for adjusting a lengthwise location of said actuator within said vertical chamber.