US2811862A

US2811862A - Actuator for a plurality of carburetors

Info

Publication number: US2811862A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward W Libby
Original assignee: Bank of America National Trust and Savings Association
Current assignee: Bank of America Corp
Priority date: 1953-06-16
Filing date: 1953-06-16
Publication date: 1957-11-05
Anticipated expiration: 1974-11-05

Description

Nov. 5, 1957 E. w. LIBBY ACTUATOR FOR A PLURALITY OF CARBURETORS Filed June 16, 1953 JNVEN TOR. [Jaw/q /4. 145%.;

BY M g VZM HTT/i/ ACTUATOR FOR A PLUR-ALITY OF CARBURETORS Edward W. Libby, Belleville, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Bank of America National Trust and "Savings Association, San Francisco, Calif., .as agent Application June :16, 1953, Serial No. 361,952

3 Claims. -(Gl.'74---4"71) This invention relates to a plural -carburet-ion system for an internal combustion engine and, "more particularly, to an improved type of actuator therefor, whereby a plurality of carburetors may be simultaneously actuated in a novel and positive manner.

In recent years, producers of internal combustion engines have sought to increase the output andeconomy of such engines by various means, including the use of a plurality of carburetors for supplying fuel to the cylinders in such fashion that the proper air-fuel mixture proportion and distribution will be achieved at all speeds. However, it has been found that one of the major obstacles to the use of a plurality of carburetors is that it is very difficult to actuate more than one simultaneously and with equal control as desired for different speed and load conditions. In many instances, the carburetor flanges on the intake manifold may not be exactly in line' with each other or the bolt holes in one of such flanges may be 'solocated as to cause the carburetor attached to'such flange to be out of line with the others. This misalignment of the carburetors has a warping effect on the ordinary plural carburetor actuating mechanism as it is moved throughout its operating cycle thus causing inconsistent fuel feeding as between the various carburetors.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved actuator for a plurality of carburetors which will positively and simultaneously opcrate the carburetors at any desired speed orfloa'd.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel actuator for a plurality of carburetors 'which will operate all the carburetors equally and simultaneously although one or more of the carburetors may be slightly out of alignment with the others.

.It is another object of the present invention to provide an :actuatorfor a plurality of carburetors characterized by it-s.novel and rugged construction which permits slight flexing of certain portions in one plane to overcome any misalignment of the carburetors, yet which possesses sufficientrigidity in another plane to insurepositive and concurrent actuation of all the carburetors.

Other objects and advantages of the -present invention 'will become apparent from the subsequent description taken. in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

.In'the drawings: V

Figure l is a perspective view of an internal combustion engine embodying an actuator for a plurality of carburetors made in accordance with the principles of the invention; and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of a modification of the actuator shown in Figure 1.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, the invention is illustrated as applied to a six-cylinder in-line internal combustion engine 2 having an engine block 3, and a cylinder head 5. Fixedly mounted on the side of the engine block 3 by means of a plurality of stud bolts 12, washers 13 and nuts 14 is a conventional exhaust manifold 6, provided with a heat control assembly 7 on which is securely mounted the heat-riser chamber 8 of saidflanges may be misaligned.

an air-fuel intake manifold 10. The air-fuel intakemauifold 10.-is secured to the side of the engine block 3 by means of the stud bolts 12, washers 13, and nuts 14,-and is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced horizontal flanges 16a. 16b and 16c on which are mounted a plurality of conventional downdraft carburetors 18a, 18b and 180, respectively. The flanges 16a, 16b and are each located on the air-fuel intake manifold 10 at a position adjacent to two of the inlet passages 17, to provide for fuel feeding to two cylinders only by each carburetor 18a, 18b and 18c.

The carburetors 18a, 18b and are provided with lower portions 20a, 20b and 20c, respectively, having formed on the lower ends thereof downwardly facing flanges 24a, 24b and 240 which are shaped similarto-the flanges 16a, 16b and 160 and are fixedly mounted on the latter by means of bolts 26a, 26b and 260 and nuts 28a, 28b and 280. Rotatively mounted in the lower portions 20a, 20b and 20c are conventional throttle valves onshafts 22a, 22b and 22c, respectively. The throttle valve shafts *22a, 22b and 220 are provided on their rearward end with throttle valve control levers 30a, 30b and 30c, respectively, on which are mounted conventional throttle lever adjusting screws as designated by numerals 32a, 32b and 320.

The throttle valve control levers 30a, 30b and 30c are provided on their outer ends with stud screws 36a, 36b and 360 on which are fixedly mounted the inner ends of actuator levers 38a, 38b and 380, by-means of lock nuts 40a, 40b and 400, respectively. The outer ends of the actuator levers 38a, 38b and 380 are provided with apertures 40a, 40b and 400, respectively, in which is lockingly engaged a longitudinal member -42. The longitudinal member 42 may be locked in the apertures 40a, 40b and 400 by any suitable means as by welding, lock screws, or by a press fit. The member 42 is shown as having preferably a rod-like shape with a hollow center, however, said member may be made With any desired shape, and may also be made from a plurality of parts with the separate parts being disposed between the actuator levers 38a, 38b and 38c and being attached to said levers by any suitable means as by Welding. I

The actuator levers 38a, 38b and 380 are preferably made from sheet metal and are formed so as to have a substantially rectangular cross section, that is, with a smaller transverse cross section in one dimension than in another dimension. The actuator levers are assembled on the rigid longitudinal member 42 with the smaller cross section on a horizontal axis to permit said levers to be horizontally flexed a slight amount for purposes of attachment to any one of the carburetors 18a, 18b and 18c which may be slightly out of line with the others. "Such misalignment may be caused, for example, by the bolts 26a, 26b and 26c being mounted slightly out of line witheach other in the manifold intake flanges 16a, 16b and16c, or

although the novel'construction of the actuator levers 38a, 38b and 380 allows said levers to be horizontally flexed, they possess sufiicient rigidity in the vertical plane to insure positive and concurrent action by all the levers during an operation cycle;

The inner end of throttle valve control lever 30b is provided with a horizontal aperture 41 in which is rotatably mounted the upper end of connector rod 44, the lower end of said rod being rotatably mounted on the upper arm 46 of the accelerator linkage lever 48. The lever 48, which is pivotally mounted on the side of the engine block 3 by means of a pin 50, has a lower arm 52 carrying a pin 54 integrally mounted thereon, the outer end of pin 54 being operatively attached to the lower end of an accelerator rod 56 by means of a joint member 58 and a lock nut 60. The upper end of the accelerator rod 56 is pivotally mounted on a conventional accelerator foot It will be appreciated that in Fig. 1.

An actuator for a plurality of carburetors made in accordance with the modification of Fig. 2 would com- .prise two straight levers, such as 38a and 380, for actuating the outwardly spaced carburetors, with the inwardly spaced carburetors being provided with levers having an ;outerU-shaped end as shown by lever 38b in Fig. 2. A modified longitudinal member 42' would also be employed and would comprise a series of rigid longitudinal members disposed between the outwardly spaced levers such as 38a and 380 and the

lever portions

70 and 72,

of the inwardly spaced levers 38b, and fixedly secured in apertures provided in the ends of said levers and insaid lever portions by any suitable means as by welding.

The invention is illustrated herein as applied to the actuation of three carburetors; however, it will be under- .stood that the principles of the invention may be practiced to actuate any other reasonable number of in-line carburetors, for example, two or fourv stood that the accelerator linkage rod 44 may be attached to any one of the throttle valve control levers 30a, 30b or 300, and not necessarily to lever 30b in order to .practice the invention.

In operation, one of the carburetor throttle valve levers, such as 30b, is actuated from the accelerator foot pedal 62, by means of the accelerator linkage comprising, accelerator rod 56, lever 48 and connector rod 44. As the throttle valve lever 30b is actuated from a no-load to a full-load or full-throttle position, such actuation is simultaneously and positively transmitted through the actuator 'lever 38b and the rigid longitudinal member 42, to the actuator levers 38a and 38c, and thence to the other carburetor throttle valve levers 30a and 300. In the illustrative embodiment of Fig. 1 the actuator for the carburetors 18a, 18b and 18c, is shown in the no-load throttle position by heavy lines as designated by numeral 75 and at the full-load position by broken lines as designated by numeral 75a.

' While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are well calculated ,to fulfill the objects and features above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is: 1. For use with an internal combustion engine having a plurality of in-line carburetors, each having a throttle valve shaft, and an actuating member connected to each shaft for rotating the shaft, mechanism adapted to be assembled with said engine for effecting concurrent rotation of all of said shafts, said mechanism comprising means for interconnecting all of the actuating members to effect concurrent rotation of all of the shafts, said last named means comprising a plurality of spaced flexible It will also be understrips, each of said strips having plane faces of greater width than thickness so that such strips are flexible in direction normal to the plane faces but are rigid in direction parallel to the plane faces, means interconnecting said strips adjacent one end thereof so that said plane faces lie in parallel planes and for unitary pivotal movement of said strips in the direction of the planes of their faces, and means for connecting the opposite end of each strip to its adjacent actuating member for pivotal movement therewith, and movable control means adapted to be connected to one of the actuating members for rotating all of said valve shafts in either direction in concert through said interconnecting means.

2. Control mechanism comprising a plurality of spaced flexible strips, each of said strips having plane faces of greater width than thickness so that such strips are flexible in direction normal to the plane faces but are rigid in direction parallel to the plane faces, an elongated rigid member interconnecting said strips adjacent one end thereof so that said plane faces lie in parallel planes and for unitary pivotal movement of said strips in the direction of the planes of their faces, and means for pivotally connecting the opposite end of each strip to apparatus to be controlled thereby.

3. For use with an internal combustion engine having a plurality of in-line carburetors, each having a throttle valve shaft, and an actuating member connected to each shaft for rotating the shaft, mechanism for connecting all of the actuating members to effect concurrent rotation of all the shafts, comprising a plurality of spaced flexible strips, each of said strips having plane faces of greater width than thickness so that such strips are flexible in a direction normal to the plane faces but are rigid in a direction parallel to the plane faces, one of said strips having its outer end bent backwardly so as to be substantially 'U-shaped, a plurality of elongated rigid members interconnecting said strips adjacent one end thereof so that said plane faces lie in parallel planes and for unitary pivotal movement of said strips in the direction of the planes of their faces, said strip having the U-shaped end being interconnected to the other of said strips by the at- -tachment' of one said elongated members to one of the two oppositely disposed faces of said U-shaped end and by the attachment of another of said elongated members to the other of said oppositely disposed faces, and means for connecting the opposite end of each strip to an adjacent actuating member for pivotal movement therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,145,431 Milne July 6, 1915 1,478,903 Morton Dec. 25, 1923 1,611,236 Rodgers Dec. 21, 1926 1,920,174 'Harris Aug. 1, 1933 1,944,531 Schweiss Ian. 23, 1934 2,323,737 Tritle July 6, 1943 2,336,425 Shenton Dec. 7, 1943 2,366,721 Gabrielson Jan. 9, 1945 2,404,311 Plank July 16, 1946 2,471,568 Harrison May 31, 1949 2,492,715 Smith et a] Dec. 27, 1949