Self-guided armature in single pole solenoid actuator assembly and fuel injector using same

A fuel injector, comprising:

• an injector body defining a nozzle outlet and including a valve assembly and a single pole solenoid actuator assembly;
• the valve assembly, including:
• a valve seat;
• a valve member being movable inside a valve bore and having an armature stem contact surface and a valve seat contact surface;
• the single pole solenoid actuator assembly, including:
• a stator assembly including a bottom stop surface;
• a flux ring component having a flux inner diameter surface that defines a flux bore;
• an armature assembly including a relatively soft armature attached to a relatively hard stem;
• the armature movable inside the flux bore of the flux ring component between a first armature position and a second armature position:
• the armature includes a top armature surface and an armature outer diameter surface;
• the stem including a first end defining a hard stop surface and a second end defining a valve contact surface;
• the hard stop surface of the stem being in contact with the bottom stop surface of the stator assembly when the armature is in the first armature position;
• and
• the valve seat contact surface of the valve member being in contact with the valve seat, and the armature stem contact surface of the valve member being in contact with the valve contact surface of the stem, when the armature is in the second armature position.