Claims:We Claim

1. A fuel injector (10), said fuel injector (10) comprising:
a housing (12);
an injector needle (14) defined within said housing (12), said injector needle (14) adapted to reciprocate within said housing (12) and eccentrically located with reference to a longitudinal axis of said housing (12); characterized in that
a groove (16) defined circumferentially on an inner sidewall of said housing (12) of said fuel injector (10), said groove (16) adapted to accumulate pressurized fuel that is supplied to the fuel injector (10), and therein deliver the accumulated pressurized fuel to each of a plurality of spray holes of said fuel injector (10).

2. The fuel injector (10) in accordance with Claim 1 wherein the groove (16) is C-shaped and defined on an inner sidewall of said housing (12).

3. The fuel injector (10) in accordance with Claim 1 wherein the groove (16) comprises a space defined on an inner sidewall of said housing (12).
, Description:Complete Specification:

The following specification describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
Field of the invention
[0001] This invention relates to a fuel injector and more specifically to a groove that is defined on an inner sidewall of a housing of the fuel injector.

Background of the invention
[0002] US 4273291 A describes a fuel injector for internal combustion engines. The fuel injector is of the pin type and is provided with a nozzle needle which is axially displaceably mounted in a nozzle body and is adapted to be lifted off its valve seat in response to fuel pressure. A throttling pin of the nozzle needle extends below the valve seat into a nozzle bore which is arranged coaxial to the longitudinal axis of the injector. The nozzle bore is provided with a gap eccentrically arranged at one point or over part of the periphery of the nozzle bore.

Brief description of the accompanying drawing
[0003] Figure 1 illustrates a fuel injector in one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments

[0004] Figure 1 illustrates a fuel injector 10. The fuel injector 10 comprises a housing 12 and an injector needle 14 defined within the housing 12. The injector needle 14 is adapted to reciprocate within the housing 12 and eccentrically located with reference to a longitudinal axis of the housing 12. A groove 16 is defined circumferentially on an inner sidewall of the housing 12 of the fuel injector 10, the groove 16 adapted to accumulate pressurized fuel that is supplied to the fuel injector 10, and therein deliver the accumulated pressurized fuel to each of a plurality of spray holes of the fuel injector 10.

[0005] The fuel injector 10 comprises a housing 12. The housing 12 of the fuel injector 10 comprises an outer sidewall 18 and an inner sidewall 20. The fuel injector 10 comprises an injector needle 14 that is defined within the housing 12. More specifically, the injector needle 14 is eccentrically located with reference to a longitudinal axis of the housing 12 of the fuel injector 10, and is adapted to reciprocate within the housing 12 of the fuel injector 10. A bore 22 is defined between the housing 12 and the injector needle 14. The bore 22 facilitates channeling fuel to the injector needle 14 from a high pressure fuel pump. A groove 16 is defined circumferentially on the inner sidewall 20 of the housing 12 of the fuel injector 10. When fuel flows through the bore 22 that is defined between the housing 12 and the injector needle 14, the fuel is channeled to the groove 16 that is defined in the inner sidewall 20 of the housing 12 of the fuel injector 10. The groove 16 is adapted to accumulate the fuel that is supplied through the bore 22 that is defined between the housing 12 and the injector needle 14. A plurality of spray holes are in flow communication with the groove 16 of the fuel injector 10. When pressurized fuel is supplied to the groove 16 of the fuel injector 10, the accumulated pressurized fuel that is present in the groove 16 is delivered to each of the spray holes of the fuel injector 10 and into the bore 22 of the engine. Therefore, the spray of pressurized fuel from the groove 16 that is circumferentially defined around the circumference of the fuel injector 10 into the bore of the engine is uniform, thereby leading to better atomization and break up of the fuel within the bore of the engine.

[0006] A working of the fuel injector 10 for the fuel injection system is described as an example. Fuel is supplied to the fuel injector from a high pressure fuel pump. The fuel that is supplied to the fuel injector 10 is channeled through the bore 22 that is defined between the housing 12 and the injector needle 14. As the fuel enters through the bore 22, the fuel is channeled into the groove 16 that is defined in the inner sidewall 20 of the housing 12 of the fuel injector 10. The fuel that is supplied through the bore 22 accumulates in the groove 16 that is defined between the housing 12 and the injector needle 14. From the groove 16, the pressurized fuel is delivered to the engine via the plurality of spray holes of the fuel injector 10. The groove 16 that is circumferentially defined around the inner sidewall of the housing 12 allows for a uniform distribution of pressurized fuel from all of the spray holes of the fuel injector, even though the injector needle 14 of the fuel injector 10 is eccentric about the longitudinal axis of the fuel injector 10. Therefore, in the absence of the groove 16, the eccentricity of the injector needle 14 of the fuel injector 10 causes the fuel that is sprayed from the fuel injector 10 to be more heavily concentrated on one side of the fuel injector 10 than on the other side of the fuel injector 10. This unequal concentration of the fuel that is sprayed from the fuel injector 10 causes unequal distribution and atomization of the fuel spray within the bore 22 of the engine.

[0007] It must be understood that the embodiments explained above are only illustrative and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. Many modifications in the embodiments with regard to leverage and dimensions of various levers are envisaged and form a part of this invention. The scope of the invention is only limited by the scope of the claims.