Individual timing and injection fuel metering system

A metering system for metering and timing of fuel injection into the combustion chambers of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, comprising:

• a fluid supply means for supplying fuel and timing fluid at a low supply pressure, said fluid supply means including a timing fluid common rail and a fuel common rail;
• one or more unit injectors positioned adjacent said common rails for receiving fuel at the low supply pressure and for injecting the fuel at relatively high pressure into respective combustion chambers of the engine, each of said one or more injectors including an injector body containing an injector cavity, a fluid timing circuit communicating with said timing fluid common rail, a fuel metering circuit communicating with said fuel common rail, and an injection orifice formed in one end of said injector body and further including a plunger means mounted for reciprocal movement in said injector cavity, said plunger means including inner and outer plunger sections, a variable volume timing chamber being formed in said injector cavity between said inner and outer plunger sections and a variable volume fuel metering chamber being formed in said injector cavity between said inner plunger section and an end of the injector cavity;
• an electromagnetic timing fluid control valve positioned in said timing fluid common rail for controlling the flow of fuel to said timing chamber, said electromagnetic timing fluid control valve being movable between an open position wherein timing fluid may flow therethrough to said timing chamber and a closed position wherein fluid is blocked from flowing therethrough to said timing chamber;
• and
• an electromagnetic fuel control valve positioned in said fuel common rail for controlling the flow of fuel to said metering chamber, said electromagnetic fuel control valve being movable between an open position wherein fuel may flow therethrough to said metering chamber and a closed position wherein fuel is blocked from flowing therethrough to said metering chamber, wherein said electromagnetic fuel control valve and said electromagnetic timing fluid control valve are each movable from said closed position to said open position and from said open position to said closed position to define a fuel metering event and a timing fluid metering event, respectively, during which a predetermined quantity of fuel and timing fluid, respectively, are metered into said metering chamber and said timing chamber, respectively.