Patent ID: 7201329

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 facet surfaces extending from the peripheral portion, the first and second planar facets intersecting each other to define a segment extending at a first angle selected from a group of angles consisting of approximately 17.7 degrees, 17.0 degrees and 16.4 degrees with respect to the base plane, each of the first and second planar facets extending at a second angle selected from a group of angles consisting of approximately 12.8 degrees, 11.5 degrees and 10.2 degrees with respect to the base plane; and at least one orifice penetrating each of the first and second planar facets and being defined by a first wall coupling the first and second surfaces, the at least one orifice extending along a first orifice axis, and the first orifice axis being 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 first orifice axis with respect to the respective planar facet surface so that then 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, wherein the at least one orifice comprises first through fourth orifices symmetrical about a first axis extending transverse to longitudinal axis, the first and fourth orifices being oriented at approximately 10 degrees with respect to a second axis extending transversely to the first axis and the second and third orifices being oriented at approximately 55 degrees with respect to the second axis.