Patent ID: 8556194

Claim:
A fuel injector comprising: a pintle movable to a closed position that prevents fuel flow from the fuel injector, wherein the pintle is held in the closed position by a pintle closing force, and an open position that allows fuel flow from the fuel injector; an armature movable between a first stop and a second stop, wherein the armature is slideably coupled to the pintle such that the armature contacts a pintle stop as the armature is urged from the first stop to the second stop to urge the pintle toward the open position, and the pintle is free to move to the closed position when the armature is not urged toward the second stop; and an electromagnetic circuit comprising the armature, a first magnetic circuit device, a second magnetic circuit device, and a coil configured to generate a magnetic field in response to a coil current, said electromagnetic circuit arranged such that the magnetic field present between the first magnetic circuit device and the second magnetic circuit device passes through the armature, wherein the first magnetic circuit device, the second magnetic circuit device, and the armature are configured so the magnetic field urges the armature toward the first stop during a time period following the initialization of the coil current, and urges the armature toward the second stop following the time period.