Patent ID: 7481383

Claim:
A fuel injector for metering and spray targeting fuel, the fuel injector comprising: a seat including a passage extending along a longitudinal axis; a closure member disposed in the passageway and contiguous to the sealing surface so as to generally preclude fuel flow through the seat aperture in one position, the closure member being coupled to a magnetic actuator that, when energized, positions the closure member away from the sealing surface of the seat so as to allow fuel flow through the passageway and past the closure member; and an 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 extending parallel to a base plane, and the base plane being generally orthogonal with respect to the longitudinal axis; a central portion being bounded by the peripheral portion and including first and second planar five-sided irregular polygon facets extending from the peripheral portion, the first and second planar five-sided irregular polygon facets intersecting each other to define a segment extending at a first angle of less than 21 degrees with respect to the base plane, each of the first and second planar five-sided irregular polygon facets extending at a second angle of less than 16 degrees with respect to the base plane, the first and second planar five-sided irregular polygon facets being bounded by a first planar triangular facet and a third planar facet five-sided irregular polygon extending from the peripheral portion, the central portion further including a second planar triangular facet being bounded by the first planar five-sided irregular polygon facet and the third planar five-sided irregular polygon facet, and a third planar triangular facet being bounded by the second planar five-sided irregular polygon facet and the third planar five-sided irregular polygon facet; and at least one orifice penetrating each of the first and second planar five-sided irregular polygon facets, each of the first and second planar five-sided irregular polygon facets having respective first and second facet surfaces where the at least one orifice extends along a central orifice axis, and the central orifice axis is oblique with respect to a respective planar facet surface by a combination of a first relationship of the respective planar facet surface with respect to the base plane and a second relationship of the central orifice axis with respect to the respective planar facet surface so that when the magnetic actuator moves the closure member to the actuated position, a flow of the fuel from the orifice disc intersects a virtual plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis to define a flow pattern having a first portion about a first arcuate sector of about 180 degrees being greater in area than a second portion on a contiguous second sector of about 180 degrees on the virtual plane.