Patent ID: 6978950

Claim:
A fuel injector comprising: a housing extending along a longitudinal axis between an inlet and an outlet; a passageway through which fuel flows from the inlet to the outlet; a coil assembly disposed proximate the inlet of the housing; a seat disposed proximate the outlet of the housing; and a closure member disposed in the housing, the closure member being movable along the longitudinal axis between a first position prohibiting fuel flow and a second position permitting fuel flow, the closure member including: a magnetic member adapted to cooperate with the coil assembly to move the closure member from the first position to the second position; a needle member occluding the seat in the first position of the closure member; and a separate tubular member coupling the magnetic member to the needle member and defining a portion of the passageway, the tubular member extending between a first end defining a first opening and second end defining a second opening, and a portion of the first opening being aligned with the second opening such that fuel flow between the first and second openings is along a flow path parallel to the longitudinal axis.