Patent ID: 8342425

Claim:
A fuel injector comprising: an inlet tube defining an inlet of the fuel injector; a valve body associated with the inlet tube to define a fuel passage through the fuel injector; a valve seat associated with the valve body, the valve seat including an outlet opening in communication with the fuel passage; an armature movable with respect to the valve body between a first position and a second position, the armature being associated with a closure member proximate the outlet opening and engaged with the valve seat when in the first position, and spaced from the valve seat when in the second position; an electromagnetic coil being energizable to provide magnetic flux that moves the armature between the first and second positions to control fuel flow through the outlet opening; a heat exchanger in the inlet tube, the heat exchanger being in the form of a hollow, elongated tube defining an internal surface and an external surface such that during operation of the fuel injector, fuel flows past both of the internal and external surfaces, the tube being formed to a generally corrugated shape having a plurality of lobes, with a groove between lobes, the lobes and grooves defining both of the internal and external surfaces; and a secondary coil being energizable to provide a magnetic field to inductively heat only the heat exchanger of the injector and thus fuel prior to exiting the outlet opening.