The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 21, 2006
Filed:
Oct. 19, 2004
Jan-roger Linna, Boston, MA (US);
John Baron, Lexington, MA (US);
Roberto O. Pellizzari, Groton, MA (US);
Peter Loftus, Cambridge, MA (US);
Peter Palmer, Waltham, MA (US);
John Paul Mello, Belmont, MA (US);
Stuart Bennett Sprague, Somerville, MA (US);
Jan-Roger Linna, Boston, MA (US);
John Baron, Lexington, MA (US);
Roberto O. Pellizzari, Groton, MA (US);
Peter Loftus, Cambridge, MA (US);
Peter Palmer, Waltham, MA (US);
John Paul Mello, Belmont, MA (US);
Stuart Bennett Sprague, Somerville, MA (US);
Philip Morris USA Inc., Richmond, VA (US);
Abstract
A fuel injector for vaporizing a liquid fuel for use in an internal combustion engine. The fuel injector includes at least one capillary flow passage, a heat source arranged along the at least one capillary flow passage, the heat source operable to heat the liquid fuel in the at least one capillary flow passage to a level sufficient to change at least a portion thereof from the liquid state to a vapor state and deliver a stream of substantially vaporized fuel from the outlet end of the at least one capillary flow passage; and a valve for metering fuel to the internal combustion engine, the valve located proximate to the outlet end of the at least one capillary flow passage, the valve including a low mass member for substantially occluding the stream of fuel to the internal combustion engine; wherein the low mass member for substantially occluding the stream of fuel to the internal combustion engine is formed of a material having low mass and or a low coefficient of thermal conductivity. The fuel injector is effective in reducing cold-start and warm-up emissions of an internal combustion engine.