Patent ID: 7918211

Claim:
A fuel injector for delivering fuel to an engine, the fuel injector comprising: a housing having an internal fuel chamber and at least one exhaust port in fluid communication with the fuel chamber whereby fuel exits the fuel injector at the at least one exhaust port for delivery to the engine; a valve member moveable relative to the housing between a closed position in which fuel within the fuel chamber is inhibited against exhaustion from the housing via the at least one exhaust port, and an open position in which fuel is exhaustable from the housing via the at least one exhaust port; an ultrasonic waveguide separate from the housing and valve member, the ultrasonic waveguide being elongate and having longitudinally opposite ends, said waveguide further having a nodal region intermediate said longitudinally opposite ends of the waveguide to define a first waveguide segment extending longitudinally from said nodal region to one of said longitudinally opposite ends and a second waveguide segment extending longitudinally from said nodal region to the other one of said longitudinally opposite ends in coaxial relationship with said first waveguide segment, said first and second segments being disposed entirely within the fuel chamber of the housing; and an excitation device operable in the open position of the valve member to ultrasonically excite said ultrasonic waveguide.