High flow compressed natural gas injector for automotive applications

An injector having an inlet and an outlet for injecting gaseous fuels into an internal combustion engine, the injector comprising:

• a valve body in the form of a hollow tube having an interior portion,
• a hollow, non-metallic armature tube provided in the interior portion, the armature tube including an annular flange extending towards a central axis of the injector, the flange having a surface facing the inlet,
• a seal disk carried by surface of the flange,
• a washer disposed over the seal disk,
• a coil compression spring having a portion disposed in the armature tube, the spring having a first end engaged with the washer,
• a seat, having a bore there-through defining the outlet, the seat including an annular seat surface engaged with the seal disk that is biased by the spring, when the injector is in a closed position, preventing fuel from exiting the outlet,
• a movable, ferro-magnetic armature coupled to an end of the armature tube, the armature having a bore and an outer periphery, a second end of the spring being received in the bore,
• an adjusting tube having an end received in the bore and engaging the second end of the spring to adjust compression of the spring,
• a hollow, ferro-magnetic inlet tube defining the inlet, the adjusting tube being disposed in an interior of the inlet tube, an end surface of the inlet tube, opposite the inlet, being spaced from the periphery of the armature in the closed position of the injector, thereby defining a gap between the end surface and the periphery,
• an electromagnetic coil disposed about a portion of the inlet tube,
• a ferro-magnetic flux member associated with the coil, and
• a housing covering at least a portion of coil,
• wherein, when the coil is energized, magnetic flux across the gap pulls the armature together with the armature tube towards the inlet so that the periphery of the armature engages the end surface of the inlet tube, thereby lifting the seal disk off of seat surface while compressing the spring, permitting gaseous flow from the inlet through the outlet.