Fuel pumping apparatus

Claim 1

A fuel pumping apparatus for supplying fuel to a compression ignition engine and of the kind comprising a housing, a rotary distributor member located within the housing, a transverse bore formed in the distributor member, a pair of plungers in the bore, a cam ring surrounding the distributor member, a plurality of pairs of diametrically disposed cam lobes formed on the internal periphery of the cam ring for imparting inward movement to the plungers as the distributor member rotates, inlet port means in the distributor member and housing and through which fuel can be supplied to the pump chamber defined by the plungers and the bore, stop means to limit the outward movement of the plungers as fuel is supplied to the pump chamber, outlet port means in the distributor member and housing and through which fuel displaced from the pump chamber flows during inward movement of the plungers, said outlet port means including an outlet which in use, is connected to a fuel injection nozzle of the associated engine, and a further pair of diametrically opposed bores formed in the distributor member and communicating with said pumping chamber, said further bores and said bore being disposed in the same radial plane, a further pair of plungers housed in the further bores respectively, said further pair of plungers and said bores being of smaller diameter than the first mentioned pair of plungers and said bore, said further pair of plungers being positioned so that during rotation of the distributor member they will be moved inwardly by a pair of said cam lobes slightly before the first mentioned pair of plungers, the inward movement of the further pair of plungers and said first mentioned pair of plungers taking place during the time when fuel can flow through said outlet port means.