Barrel and fuel injector utilizing the same

A fuel injector for injecting fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprising:

• an injector housing;
• a nozzle member coupled to the injector housing at one end of the housing, said nozzle member having spray holes for spraying fuel into the combustion chamber;
• a barrel in said housing adjacent said nozzle member, said barrel having a generally axial plunger bore extending through said barrel, a wall circumscribing the plunger bore, a first end face on said wall remote from the nozzle member and a second end face adjacent the nozzle member;
• a plunger extending into said injector housing and into said plunger bore of said barrel;
• means for mounting said plunger for axial reciprocating movement in said housing and said plunger bore;
• inlet conduit means for conducting fuel to the barrel;
• outlet conduit means for conducting fuel from the barrel;
• said wall having inlet passage means leading from said inlet conduit means to said plunger bore and outlet passage means leading from said plunger bore to said outlet conduit means;
• said inlet passage means including an inlet passage leg and first and second axially spaced generally transverse legs extending from said inlet passage leg to said plunger bore and terminating in a spill port and a metering port, respectively, at said plunger bore;
• said outlet passage means including an outlet passage leg and a transverse leg opening at a drain port at the plunger bore and extending to said outlet passage leg;
• at least one of said inlet passage leg and said outlet passage leg being inclined radially inwardly as it extends axially toward at least one of the transverse legs with which such one leg is associated;
• and
• said plunger controlling the flow of fuel from the metering port and the spill port into said plunger bore and the injection of fuel through said spray holes as a function of the axial position of said plunger within said housing.