US2061166A

US2061166A - Air supply device for internal combustion engines

Info

Publication number: US2061166A
Application number: US27092A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mueller Frank
Original assignee: J R CADORET; M B COMERFORD
Current assignee: J R CADORET; M B COMERFORD
Priority date: 1935-06-17
Filing date: 1935-06-17
Publication date: 1936-11-17
Anticipated expiration: 1953-11-17

Description

Nov.- 17, 1936. F. MUELLER 2 AIR SUPPLY DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 17, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NOV. 17, 1936. MUELLER 2,061,166

AIR SUPPLY DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 1'7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES AIR SUPPLY DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COIVLBUSTION ENGINES Frank Mueller, Scranton, Pa., assignor of onethird to J. R. Cadoret and one-third to M. B. Comerford, both of Scranton, Pa.

Application June 17, 1935, Serial No. 27,092

19 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanism for introducing a supply of air to the fuel line of an internal combustion engine.

One object of the invention is to provide means whereby the amount of air which is supplied to the fuel line is automatically controlled in accordance with the requirements of the engine under various operating conditions, and to secure maximum economy and efiiciency of operation,

Another object is to provide means for adjust-- ing the automatic control in accordance with the peculiar requirements of any individual internal combustion engine and the use to which the engine is placed.

Another object is to provide means for efficiently mixing the air, which is thus introduced, with the fuel.

A further object is to provide a mechanism which will be rugged and durable and which, in its preferred embodiment, may comprise a unit adapted to be secured between the conventional carburetor and intake manifold of an automobile, although the structure of the invention may be incorporated directly in a carburetor or other fuel supply means.

Other objects and advantages will beapparent from the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical section on the line II of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section similar to that shown in Figure 1, but with the parts in a diiferent position, and

Figure 5 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention.

The invention preferably takes the form of a unitary body or member which may readily be incorporated in the conventional assembly of a carburetor and intake manifold without requiring the attachment of partsto the carburetor mechanism or other control mechanism of the engine. In its preferred embodiment the invention consists of asubstantially flat body'or casing member which may be inserted between the carburetor and intake manifold without other connections than the bolts which are usually employed to assemble these parts. In the drawings, the numeral I indicates a member, having a central aperture 2, adapted to be secured between the usual intake manifold flange 3 and the opposed flange 4 of the carburetor outlet pipe 5. Bolts 6 passing through appropriate apertures in the flanges and the member I hold the parts in position.

The member I is provided with an air inlet in the form of one or more air ports I, 'I, which extend inwardly from one side and open into a transverse concavity 8 communicating with a channel 9 extending around the circumference of the aperture '2. The channel 9 is preferably covered by a wire screen I0, which may be made of bronze wire.

The air inlet is valve controlled and, in the embodiment illustrated, each of the air ports I, I, is provided with an air valve comprising a cap I I and a tubular body member I2 having a transverse partition I3 provided with apertures I4. The body I2 is provided at its outer end with a skirt I5, the edge of which forms a seat for the cap I'I. At its inner end the body is provided with a hollow screw threaded extension I6 which is screwed into the port I, the latter being provided with a suitable internal screw thread. 'By turning the body I2 the air valve may thus be moved toward or away from the member I for a purpose which will presently appear. A lock nut I1 is threaded on the extension I6 and serves to maintain the valve in any desired position.

A stem I8 is rigidly secured at the center of each of the valve caps II, II, and extends inwardly through a central aperture in the partition I3 of the body I2, terminating in a shoe I9. A helical expansion spring 20 encircles the stem I8, one end bearing on the shoe I9 and the other end bearing on the transverse apertured partition I3. The spring 20 thus urges the shoe I9 inwardly and hence causes the valve cap II, with which the shoe is connected by the stem I8, to seat tightly against the end of the skirt I5 to seal the port I.

A rocker arm 2| is secured to a rock shaft 22 which is pivotally mounted in the transverse concavity 8. The rock shaft 22, extending transversely with respect to the ports I, I, has a substantially fiat upstanding rear portion 23 which normally lies in close proximity to, or contacts, the valve shoes I9, I9.

As will be seen from an inspection of Figure 1, upward movement of the rocker arm 2I will rotate the rock shaft and cause the upstanding rear portion 23 to move outwardly in an arc, pushing the valve shoes I9, I9 outwardly to open the air valves.

The rocker arm 2| is so arranged that it projects into the interior of the intake passage and, as shown in Figure 1, its end may project downwardly into the carburetor outlet pipe when in Its lowermost position.

A conventional butterfly throttle valve 24 is disposed in the carburetor outlet pipe 5 in the usual manner and in such a position that when it moves from closed toward open position its edge contacts and raises the rocker arm 2 I.

The rocker arm 2I is preferably provided on its underside with a cam surface consisting of a rise 25 and a dwell 26 so that as the butterfly 24 is moved from closed to intermediate position,

the upward movement of the rocker arm will be accentuated as the edge of the butterfly passes over the rise 25, and as the butterfly moves from intermediate to wide open position its edge passes into the dwell 26 and the rocker arm is thereby permitted to drop. It will be apparent therefore that by reason of the formation of the rocker arm so as to provide the cam surface, movement of the throttle valve toward open position imparts a variable movement to the air valve. That is to say, the opening movement of the air valve is not directly proportional to the opening of the throttle valve, but varies in accordance with the cam formation.

It will be apparent that when the rocker arm is in its lowermost position and one of the valves is so adjusted that its shoe i9 is in close proximity to the rock shaft as shown in Figure 1, or barely contacts the rock shaft, the air valve will be held in closed position by the spring 20. With the air valve so adjusted and the throttle valve in closed position, or only slightly open aswhen the engine is idling, no air will be admitted through the air port I and the mixture which passes to the engine will be rich in fuel. As the engine speed is increased by opening the throttle valve the rocker arm will be raised and the air valve will be gradually opened, as explained above, in order that a supply of air may be drawn into the intake passage, by the suction therein, through the air port. The rate at which the air valve will be opened as the throttle is opened will depend upon the inclination of the rise 25 which is preferably designed so that the air Valve will be fully open when the throttle valve is about halfway open. In other words, when the car is travelling at approximately half speed the maximum amount of air enters through the port 1, resulting in a maximum economy of fuel consumption.

As more power is required and the throttle valve is moved from intermediate to fully open position, it is desirable to reduce gradually the supplyof air which is admitted through the port I and, as explained above, the rocker arm will fall and the air valve will be gradually closed as the throttle valve is moved toward fully open position owing to the provision of the dwell 26 next to the rise 25. The rate at which the air valve will close as the throttle is so advanced will depend on the angle of incline of the cam surface between the rise and the dwell. It will be seen that when the maximum amount of power is required and the throttle valve is fully opened, the mixture which passes to the engine will be rich in fuel.

Where two air ports are provided, the two air valves may be so adjusted that they will operate as described above, but it is frequently desired so to adjust the two air valves that one will open before the other and close before the other, so that the amount of air which is admitted will be varied more gradually. To do this, it is only necessary to adjust the respective air valves as shown in Figure 2, where, when the rocker arm is in its lowermost position, the shoe I9 of one alve is in close proximity to the rock shaft, while the other valve is screwed out so that its shoe is farther away from the rock shaft. With such an adjustment it will be seen that upon opening the throttle valve, one shoe will be contacted by the rock shaft and moved rearwardly before the other and hence the corresponding air valve will be opened before the other. When the throttle valve is opened to an approximately intermediate position, both shoes will have been pushed rear-- Wardly and hence both valves will be opened. As the throttle valve is further opened one shoe will arrive at its innermost position before the other and hence its corresponding valve will be closed first.

It will be apparent that both of the air valves may be adjusted to the same position so that neither will be affected until the throttle has reached an intermediate position.

Furthermore, it is possible, and in certain cases it may be desirable, to position one of the valves so far outwardly with respect to member I that its shoe cannot be contacted by the portion 23 of the rock shaft, with the result that the valve will remain closed at all times. It may also be desired to move one valve so far inwardly that its shoe is constantly being held out by the rock shaft or its upstanding rear portion so that the valve will be open at all times.

It has been found that with some engines it is desirable that the air valve, or valves, be closed during idling, wide open at half throttle, and partially but not entirely closed at full throttle. This result may be achieved by making the dwell on the cam surface of the rocker arm somewhat shallower. Likewise, it will be found desirable to change the specific form of the throttle valve contacting surface of the rocker arm from that shown in the drawings, to suit various types of carburetors and engines.

It will be desirable in some cases to use one air port and in other cases two or more air ports may be preferable.

As shown in Figure 5, the invention is applicable to that type of engine which uses a plurality of carburetors and a corresponding number of butterfly throttle valves. One air port and air valve may be provided for each of the butterfly valves, which, as shown, may be arranged on a common shaft.

As set forth above, the upward movement of the rocker arm 2! will rotate the rock shaft 22, causing the upstanding rear portion 23 of the rocker arm to push the valve shoes l9, l9 outwardly to open the air valves.

The springs 28, 20, urging the valve shoes inwardly, oppose upward movement of the rocker arm and cause it to remain in its lowermost position when the butterfly throttle valve is fully closed or fully open. It is desirable that the springs be light enough so that they will not interfere with the ordinary operation of the butterfiy valve and yet be heavy enough to maintain the rocker arm in its lowermost position when the throttle valve is closed.

The above described channel 9 into which the air passes after coming through the ports i, l, is of great importance in securing an efiicient and even mixture of the gases. Part of the air passes directly from the concavity 8 into the intake passage, but a considerable part of the air is dividedinto diverging streams which flow into the circumferential channel 9, and around the aperture 2 in opposite directions to meet on the other side. This construction results in an even mixture of the air and fuel, because the air is drawn from all parts of the channel by the suction in the intake passage and enters the stream of gaseous fuel from all directions.

The wire screen I!) assists this flow of air into and around the channel 9 and, since it becomes very hot when the engine is running, it causes an appreciable preheating of the gases flowing through the intake passage.

It will be seen'that the invention, in its preferred embodiments, mayreadily be attached between the conventional carburetor andmanifold of an internal combustion engine by an unskilled person, since no additional attachments or adjustable devices need be used in connection with it.

While the invention has beendescribed as an attachment adapted to be used in connection with conventional gasoline engines and carburetors;the inventive concept is not so limited, since the combination of elements incorporated may be directly in a carburetor or other fuel supply means.

I claim:

'1. An attachment for an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, comprising a-rnemher having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve mounted in said member and controlling the passage of air through the port, and an arm pivotally mounted in said member independently of said air valve and projecting into said aperture, said arm being adapted to be contacted and moved by the throttle valve and being operatively associated with said air valve whereby to actuate the latter.

2. An attachment for an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, comprising a member having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve mounted in said member and controlling the passage of air through the port, and a lever mounted independently of said air valve in said member and operatively associated with the air valve to actuate the same, said lever projecting into said aperture and being arranged to be contacted and moved by the throttle valve.

3. An attachmentfor an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, comprising a member having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve adjustably mounted in said member and controlling the passage of air through the port, and a pivoted rocker mounted in said member independently of the air valve and adapted to operate the air valve, one end of said rocker being adapted to be contacted and moved by the throttle valve.

4. An attachment for an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, comprising a member having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve controlling the passage of air through the port, and a pivoted rocker arm, adapted to operate the air valve, one end of which is adapted to be contacted and moved by the throttle valve, the valvecontacting portion of the arm being so formed that during only part of the movement of the throttle valve toward open position the air valve is actuated toward open position.

5. An attachment for an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, comprising a memher having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the

member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve controlling the passage of air through the port, and a pivoted rocker arm, adapted to operate the airlvalve, one end of which is adapted to be contacted and moved by the throttle valve, the arm being so formed at its portion which contacts the throttle valve that during movement of the throttle valve toward open position the air valve is opened, and :during further movement of the throttle valve toward open position the air valve may close.

6. Anattachment for an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, comprising a member'having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve controlling the passage of air through the port, and a pivoted rocker arm, which is adapted to operate the air valve, one end of which is adapted to be contacted and moved by the throttle valve, the throttle valve contacting portion of the arm being so formed that when the throttle valve is in substantially wide open position and when it is in substantially closed position the air valve is closed, and when the throttle valve is moved to intermediate positions the arm opens the air valve.

7. An attachment for an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, comprising a member having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the

memberbeing provided with a plurality of ports 35 through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a plurality of valves controlling the passage of air through the ports, means operatively connected to each air valve, and a rocker arm one end of which is adapted to be contacted and moved by the throttle valve and the other end of which is adapted to engage said means to operate the air valves, each of said means being separately adjustable with respect to the-rocker arm.

.8. An attachment for an internal combustion' engine having a throttle valve, comprising a member having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve controlling the passage of air through the port, and a cam operatively associated with the air valve and adapted to be contacted and moved by the throttle valve, said cam being provided with a rise and a dwell.

9. An attachment for an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, comprising a mem ber having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve controlling the passage of air through the port, and means for operating said last mentioned valve in accordance with movement of the throttle valve, said means comprising an element mounted in said member and projecting into said aperture to be contacted by the throttle valve in its opening movement, the element being arranged to impart a variable movement to the air valve in the opening movement of the throttle valve.

10. An attachment for an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, comprising a member having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve controlling the passage of air through the port, a cam operatively associated with the air valve and adapted to be contacted and moved by the throttle valve, a channel communicating with the air port and arranged circumferentially with respect to said aperture, and a perforated member covering said channel.

11. An attachment for the carburetor of an internal combustion engine comprising a body having a central opening extending transversely therethrough and adapted to register with the intake passages of the carburetor and manifold, said body having a circumferential channel extending around said opening and an air inlet ,passage communicating with said channel, an

air valve in said passage, and means engageable with the butterfly valve of the carburetor to actuate said valve, said means being arranged to impart a variable movement to the air valve in the opening movement of the butterfly valve.

12. An attachment for the carburetor of an internal combustion engine comprising a body having a central opening extending transversely therethrough and adapted to register with the intake passages of the carburetor and manifold, said body having a circumferential channel extending around said opening and an air inlet passage communicating with said channel, an air valve in said passage, and means engage-able with the butterfly valve of the carburetor to actuate said valve, said last-mentioned means comprising a movable arm having a cam-shaped finger portion adapted to bear on a butterfly valve whereby movement of the butterfly valve actuates the air valve in accordance with the slope of the cam.

13. An attachment for the carburetor of an intern-a1 combustion engine adapted to be inserted between the carburetor and intake manifold and to be clamped therebetween, comprising a body having a central opening extending transversely therethrough and adapted to register with the intake passages of the carburetor andrmanifold, said body having a circumferential channel extending around said opening and an air inlet passage communicating with said channel, an air valve in said passage, and means engageable with the butterfly valve of the carburetor to actuate said valve, said means being arranged to impart a variable movement to the air valve in the opening movement of the butterfly valve.

14. An air supply attachment for the carburetor of an internal combustion engine comprising a body adapted to be clamped between the carburetor and the intake manifold, an air passage in said body, a valve for controlling said air passage. and means in. sliding contact with the edge of the butterfly valve of the carburetor to control said air valve in accordance with movement of the butterfly valve, said air valve being adapted to permit the entry of additional air in accordance with movement of the butterfly valve without other attachment to the moving parts of the carburetor.

15. In an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, the combination of a member having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve controlling the passage of air through the port, and a lever operatively associated with the air valve and adapted to be contacted and moved by a throttle valve, said lever having a cam portion for contact with the throttle valve whereby to impart a variable movement to the air valve in the opening movement of the throttle Valve.

16. In an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, the combination of a member having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve controlling the passage of air through the port, and

a pivoted rocker mounted in said member adapted to operate the air valve one end of which is adapted to be contacted and moved by a tiltable ing a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve controlling the passage of air through the port, and a pivoted rocker arm adapted to operate the air valve one end of which is adapted to be contacted and moved by a throttle valve, the arm being so formed that during only part of the movement of the throttle valve toward open position the air valve is actuated toward open position.

18. In an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, the combination of a member having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve mounted in said member and controlling the passage of air through the port, and a pivoted rocker arm mounted in said member independently of said valve mounting and adapted to operate the air valve, said rocker arm being adapted to be contacted and moved by a throttle valve and being so arranged that during movement of the throttle valve toward open position the air valve is opened, and during further movement of the throttle valve toward open position the air valve may close.

19. An attachment for an internal combustion engine having a throttle valve, comprising a member having a central aperture and adapted to be secured between the intake manifold and the fuel supply of the internal combustion engine, the member being provided with a port through which air may be drawn into the intake manifold, a valve controlling the passage of air through the port, means operatively connected to the air valve, and a rocker arm, one end of which is adapted to be contacted and moved by the throttle valve and the other end of which is adapted to engage said means to operate the air valve, the means being adjustable with respect to the rocker arm.

FRANK MUELLER.