Patent ID: 7163159

Claim:
A fuel injector for metering, atomizing, and spray targeting fuel, the fuel injector comprising: a seat including a passage extending along a longitudinal axis; a movable member cooperating with the seat to permit and prevent a flow of fuel through the passage; and a metering orifice disc including: first and second surfaces, the first surface confronting the seat, and the second surface facing opposite the first surface; a peripheral portion with respect to the longitudinal axis, the peripheral portion extending parallel to a base plane, and the base plane being generally orthogonal with respect to the longitudinal axis, the base plane comprising an interface of the seat and a peripheral portion of the first surface; a central portion with respect to the longitudinal axis, the central portion being bounded by the peripheral portion and including a first facet extending parallel to a first plane, the first facet being coupled to the peripheral portion along a first peripheral segment, and the first plane being oblique with respect to the base plane; and a first orifice penetrating the first facet and being defined by a first wall coupling the first and second surfaces, the first orifice extending along a first orifice axis, and the first orifice axis being oblique with respect to the first plane such that an orientation of the first orifice with respect to the longitudinal axis is defined by a combination of a first relationship of the first plane with respect to the base plane and a second relationship of the first orifice axis with respect to the first plane, wherein the central portion of the first surface comprises an apex and a perpendicular height of the apex with respect to the base plane, and there is a generally direct correlation between the apex height and the orientation of the first orifice with respect to the longitudinal axis.