Caterpillar Inc.

G.w. Lisk Company, Inc.

Doug Kinnear

Dale C Maley

Darwin R Carrell

Steven B Coleman

A fuel injector assembly and a control valve for such an assembly which automatically compensate for changes in the emissions generated by the engine by changing the timing of fuel injection within the engine. The fuel injector assembly, which causes fuel to be injected during a fuel injection cycle having a start time and a stop time, includes a fuel injector nozzle, a fuel pump, and a fuel inlet associated with the fuel pump, which causes fuel to be periodically pumped from the fuel inlet through the fuel injector nozzle. A control valve, which is associated with the fuel pump and which controls the start time and the stop time of the fuel injection cycle, includes a valve body and a solenoid-actuated armature disposed in a recess in the valve body. The armature has a first side and an opposed second side and is reciprocable within the recess between a first position and a second position. A first spring is disposed on the first side of the armature to exert a first spring force on the armature in accordance with a first long-term spring characteristic, and a second spring is disposed on the second side of the armature to exert a second spring force on the armature in accordance with a second long-term spring characteristic different than the first long-term spring characteristic so that the start time of the fuel injection cycle changes over time.

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Clifton Springs, NY, United States of America

Doug Kinnear