US3693650A

US3693650A - Valve device and anti-pollution system employing the same

Info

Publication number: US3693650A
Application number: US63186A
Authority: US
Inventors: Andrew E Macguire
Original assignee: Ferry Cap and Set Screw Co
Current assignee: Ferry Cap and Set Screw Co
Priority date: 1970-08-12
Filing date: 1970-08-12
Publication date: 1972-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 1989-09-26

Abstract

A fluid pressure responsive valve device utilizing a valve member of elastomeric material, particularly adapted for employment in a supplemental air supply system to the manifold of an internal combustion engine.

Description

United States Patent MacGuire [451 Sept. 26, 1972 [54] VALVE DEVICE AND ANTI- POLLUTION SYSTEM EMPLOYING THE SAME Andrew E. MacGuire, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada Assignee: The Ferry Cap & Set Screw Co.,

Cleveland, Ohio Filed: Aug. 12, 1970 Appl. No.: 63,186

Inventor:

U.S. Cl. ..137/480, 137/525, 137/539,

123/119 D, 123/124 R, 123/97 B Int. Cl ..F02d 9/00, F16k 15/04, F16k 15/14 Field of Search...137/525, 539, 480; 123/124 R, 123/119D,97B

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1900 Gold ..137/539 11/1924 Clark ..137/525 Primary Examiner-Wendell E. Burns Attorney-Oberlin, Maky, Donnelly & Renner [5 7] ABSTRACT A fluid pressure responsive valve device utilizing a valve member of elastomeric material, particularly adapted for employment in a supplemental air supply system to the manifold of an internal combustion engme.

30 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTED I973 3.6 93 650 sum 1 or 2 INVENTOR.

'5 ANDREW E. MACGU/RE -5" 7 BY A TTORNEYS PATENTEDSEP26 1972 SHEET 2 0F 2 ATTORNEYS VALVE DEVICE AND ANTI-POLLUTION SYSTEM EMPLOYING THE SAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The modern automotive internal combustion engine has been recognized as a principal contributor to atmospheric pollution and a number of different approaches have been made to the problem. Devices of various sorts have been developed to control release of crankcase emissions and others have been developed to remove harmful products from the exhaust gases. It has, however, been recognized that the basic problem would be much ameliorated if the engines could be operated under substantially ideal conditions so that only small amounts of the objectionable pollutants would be produced, as by ensuring substantially complete combustion of the engine fuel under all operating conditions. Examples of devices for such purpose are illustrated and described in Mokrzycki U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,449 and Canadian Pat. No. 590,030, as well as in Thomasson US. Pat. No. 1,259,317. While illustrating this general approach to the problem, such devices have not been flexible enough in operation quickly to accommodate rapid changes in engine operating conditions, such as rapid acceleration and rapid deceleration, to ensure a proper air-fuel ratio at all times and thereby achieve substantially complete combustion of the fuel, and it is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel valve and supplemental air supply system to the manifold of an internal combustion engine which will be quickly and effectively responsive to such changes in engine operating conditions.

More particularly, the objects of this invention include the provision of such valve and system which will be effective in avoiding rough engine idle, backfiring, and unstable engine operation.

Other objects include the provision of such valve and system which will ensure automatic adjustment to various throttle settings and rates of acceleration or decelaration which in the past have commonly resulted in a temporary improper fuel-air mixture.

A corollary objective is thereby to prevent the emission of excessive pollutants to the atmosphere, particularly carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon vapors.

Still another object is to provide such a valve and system which will be inexpensive of manufacture and will require little or no maintenance due to carbon build-up or the like.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 6 is a similar section through yet another embodiment of such valve including auxiliary flow control means;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detailed view of the support means for the valve members; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged detailed view of an element of the auxiliary valve means of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now more particularly to said drawing, and especially to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, the embodiment of the invention there illustrated comprises a unitary T-shape plastic body having a hollow cylindrical portion 1 in communication with the oppositely extending

tubular arms

2 and 3. Threadedly adjustably received within such cylindrical body portion 1 is a tubular casing 4 having an integral extension 5 of slightly reduced inner diameter 6. Such casing 4 may have an outer hexagonal or octagonal configuration to facilitate application of a wrench.thereto for the purpose of rotating casing 4 relative to body 1 and thereby axially shifting said casing relative to said body.

The diameter of the opening 7 leading from the interior of body portion 1 to communicate with the arms of the

T

2 and 3 is of smaller diameter than the inner diameter of such body portion, thereby providing a shoulder 8 which supports a frusto-conical serrated washer 9 (see also FIG. 7) having a circular central opening 10 and a number of outer peripheral notches such as 11. As above indicated, the inner diameter 6 of tubular extension 5 of easing 4 is of somewhat smaller diameter than the inner diameter 12 of the casing proper, thereby affording a beveled shoulder 13 therebetween.

Received within casing 4 are three spheres or

balls

14, 15 and 16 of elastomeric material and of a diameter greater than the internal diameter 6 of such extension 5 and greater than the diameter of the central opening 10 of washer 9. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, such balls are of somewhat smaller diameter than the internal diameter 12 of casing 4 so as to provide a clearance between the same and such casing. By turning casing 4 as above described, shoulder 13 (which serves as a valve seat) may be moved toward and away from washer 9 to vary the length of the chamber containing such balls and to subject the latter to a predetermined degree of compression.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the above described valve assembly may be connected by means of neoprene tubing 17 with the underside of the conventional air filter 18 of an automotive internal combustion engine 19 so that air may be drawn from such filter through tubing 17, past ball 14 (when the latter is unseated), through notches ll of washer 9, to

delivery lines

20 and 21, which may likewise be of neoprene tubing, leading to engine manifold 22 with which the conventional carburetor 23 is also, of course, in com- Another embodiment of the new valve of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawing utilizing the same valve body but with a length of elastomeric tubing 26 supporting the elastomeric ball valve member 14. An alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 is generally similar to that of FIG. 4 except that a shorter length of elastomeric tubing 27 is interposed between elastomeric ball valve member 14 and the elastomeric ball 16 which bears against serrated washer 9.

The optional modification illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8 of the drawing may be utilized when it is desired to provide means more precisely to control the air delivered to the engine manifold during periods of extremely rapid deceleration. The device here illustrated is the same as that shown in FIG. 3 except that both hose l7 and hose 21 will now be connected to air filter l8 and only hose or tubing 20 leads to the engine manifold. A generally tubular inner plastic body 28 is tightly fitted within the bore of

T portions

2 and 3, with a lateral opening v29 being in communication with outlet 7. A medium soft elastomeric ball 30 is trapped between washer 31 having outwardly turned teeth or serrations 32 and the beveled inner end of inner tubular portion 33. Another ball 34 of medium soft elastomeric material is trapped or caged between washer 35'and the outer beveled end of tubular portion 33. As will be explained in greater detail below, when excessive vacuum occurs in line 20, the suction draws ball 34 against the end of inner tube 33 and also draws ball 30 against serrated washer 31, thereby cutting off all air flow through line 21 and greatly reducing the flow of air past ball 30 coming from line 17.

Further details of the invention may best be understood from a consideration of the operation of the valve device and associated system.

OPERATION The valve device of this invention will preferably be installed with casing 4 extending in a vertical direction but this is not essential and the device will operate regardless of position. The valve body and casing may ordinarily desirably be of nylon and the

tubing

17, 20 and 21 may likewise be of nylon or Neoprene, for example, the principal requirement of all such elements being that they should not deteriorate under warm operating conditions in the presence of oil and gasoline fumes. The valve should accordingly be mounted adjacent the engine but not in a position where it will be subjected to excessive heat. The

elastomeric balls

14, and 16 may desirably be of polyurethane rubber, a resiliently deformable elastomer capable of bulging laterally within the casing when ball 14 is unseated due to fluid pressure in tube 17. The flexing of these balls assists in preventing the build-up of carbon and other like deposits within the unit.

Initially, casing 4 may be rotated relative to body portion 1 so as just bearly to seat valve member 14 against shoulder 13. After the engine has been started, casing 14 may then be very slightly rotated until the smoothest possible idle is obtained. Unless the carburetor is badly out of adjustment (e.g. affording a very high idle) itwill ordinarily not be necessary to make any adjustment to the carburetor. Supplemental air is admitted to manifold 22 through tubes and 21 under the influence of the manifold vacuum (normally about 18 inches of mercury) which serves to unseat ball 14 with consequent compression of the balls axially of the casing and corresponding lateral bulging of such balls toward the wall 12 of the valve chamber within casing 4. It will be apparent that if ball 14 is thus unseated and moved axially within said chamber for a considerable distance under the influence of very high vacuum in

lines

20 and 21 the balls will be thus laterally bulged to such an extent as to very substantially restrict the passage between the same and the chamber wall 12. The imposition of a momentary but nevertheless very high vacuum accordingly is ineffective to draw as much air through the valve assembly as would otherwise be the case.

Automotive engine carburetors are ordinarily most efficient when the vehicle is operating at a speed of approximately 50-60 mph, providing too rich a mixture at idle. By admitting supplementary air to the manifold, the system of this invention has the effect of providing a smoother idle as well as ensuring substantially complete combustion of the fuel to minimize discharge of carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon.

As the engine is accelerated gradually the vacuum may drop to about 14 inches of mercury and only a little more additional air is admitted to the device through the manifold than is the case when the engine is at idle. If the engine is now accelerated to about 50 mph for example the vacuum may drop toabout 23 inches of mercury and substantially all of the air entering the engine manifold will be derived from the carburetor. when the engine is abruptly decelerated, the vacuum may however build up to approximately 25 inches of mercury which would be expected to draw too much air through the device with consequent unstable engine operation. The new device, however, automatically eliminates such problem due to the lateral expansion of the elastomeric balls which limits the passage for the air through chamber 12; consequently the increase in air flow to the manifold is not nearly as substantial as would be expected from the abrupt increase in manifold vacuum. It has been noted that

balls

15 and 16 which support ball valve member 14 and resiliently bias the latter toward valve closing position tend thus -to be laterally deformed to a greater extent that the ball valve member 14 itself. This may, how ever, be regulated as desired by employment of balls of varying degrees of resilience.

When the valve device illustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawing is employed, further protection is afforded against the introduction of excessive air into the engine manifold under certain operating conditions. More particularly, when the engine is operating at high speed and is abruptly decelerated the high vacuum developed in the manifold will tend to draw an excessive amount of supplementary air through the device and this may be further regulated by the provision of the

ball check valves

30 and 34. At low vacuum, both such balls drop away from the respective orifices so as not to interfere with passage of air to the latter. Under conditions of excessively high vacuum, however, ball 34 is drawn against the entrance to tubular passage 33, blocking entry of air from tube 21, and ball 30 is drawn against serrated washer 31 to greatly restrict the passage of air therethrough while still permitting limited movement of air through such serrations. Both

balls

30 and 34 may desirably be of medium soft polyurethane rubber.

While balls of elastomeric material have previously been employed in various types of valves as disclosed, for example, in US. Pat. Nos. 3,077,204; 3,343,566 and 3,447,564, I am not aware of any such device where multiple elastomeric balls are utilized in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6 of the present application or, indeed, where an elastomeric valve member is caused to bulge laterally when unseated from the valve inlet opening. It has been found that the valve of the present invention is capable of very precise adjustment and is also delicately responsive to relatively small changes in fluid pressure, thereby rendering it particularly useful for the metering of supplemental air to an internal combustion engine manifold. It will be appreciated, however, that the valve of this invention may be employed for a wide variety of different purposes.

While polyurethane rubber has been found to be especially suitable for balls l4, l5 and 16, such balls may also be of natural or synthetic rubber, of foamed polyurethane, of Neoprene, and may be in'the form of hollow inflated spheres. In a typical installation for the purpose described, such balls may be one-half inch in diameter and the innerdiameter of chamber 12 in casing 4 may be only several hundredths of an inch greater. Despite the tendency of such balls to bulge laterally as the valve opens more and more, such bulging will not ordinarily be to an extent sufficient entirely to close off the passage for fluid flow through chamber 12, there being an automatic self-compensating effect whereby the force tending to open the valve is diminished gradually as such passage becomes more and more restricted.

It is desirable that all the principal parts of the valve assembly, including the tubing connecting the same to the air filter and manifold, be of plastic rather than metal so as to avoid stripping negative charges from the air delivered to the manifold. The construction is such that operation is not affected by engine or road vibration. The assembly is light in weight, inexpensive, and easily installed and provides a degree of protection against the dangers of a faulty exhaust system since discharge of lethal carbon monoxide may be much diminished thereby. If desired, instead of being connected directly with the engine manifold, the device may be connected to a positive crankcase ventilation line, or one outlet of the T-shape member may connect directly to the manifold and the other connect to such positive crankcase ventilation line.

The valve of this invention may employ a metal ball valve member supported by the resiliently deformable elastomeric balls although it will generally be preferred to employ a plastic valve member for reasons indicated above. With balls one-half inch in diameter, the cylindrical chamber containing the same may be about onesixteenth of an inch greater in diameter, more or less depending on the size of passageway desired therebetween. The chamber must not, of course, be of such a large relative diameter that the balls are not retained in general alignment and become wedged in use.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A valve including a valve chamber, an inlet to said chamber, a resiliently deformable elastomeric valve member, and support means for said valve member operative normally to hold said member in inlet sealing position, said valve member being deformable by fluid pressure in said inlet to permit fluid flow therefrom and to cause lateral bulging of said valve member toward the surrounding wall of said chamber to reduce the clearance between said member and wall and thereby increasingly restrict the flow of fluid around said member as fluid pressure from said inlet increases.

2. A valve comprising a hollow plastic T-shape valve body open at its extremities, a hollow cylindrical casing member threadedly engaged with the stem of such T to define a valve chamber therewith, a valve seat in said casing defining an inlet to said chamber from the end of said casing, three spheres of elastomeric material aligned within said chamber with only a small space between said balls and the side wall of said chamber, one of said balls serving as a valve member to engage said seat and close said inlet and the other two balls resiliently supporting the same, and passage means communicating between the end of said chamber remote from said seat and the hollow arms of such T.

3. In a valve having a valve body, a valve chamber therein, an inlet to said chamber providing a seat for a valve member within said chamber, an outlet from said chamber, a spherical valve member of elastomeric material within said chamber between said inlet and outlet, and support means for retaining said spherical valve member within said chamber, said support means comprising at least one spherical member of elastomeric material.

4. The valve of claim 3 wherein said chamber is generally cylindrical with said inlet and outlet at the respective ends thereof, and said support means comprises two spherical members of elastomeric material.

5. The valve of claim 3 wherein said chamber is generally cylindrical with said inlet and outlet at the respective ends thereof and said valve member is resiliently deformable under fluid pressure from said inlet, said chamber being dimensioned to afford a small amount of clearance for said spherical valve member when the latter is compressed axially of said chamber by fluid from said inlet.

6. The valve of claim 5 wherein the valve body defining said chamber comprises two cylindrical portions threadedly axially interconnected for relative rotation to vary the longitudinal extent of said chamber.

7. The valve of claim 6 wherein said spherical member is supported by additional support means centrally of the width of said chamber, and said outlet is provided in the form of openings disposed generally circumferentially of said support means.

8. The valve of claim 7 wherein said valve body is of plastic.

9. The valve of claim 3 wherein said valve body includes a bifurcated passage leading from said outlet.

10. A valve including a valve chamber, an inlet to said chamber, a valve member adapted to restrict said inlet, and support means for said valve member within said chamber adapted to bulge laterally toward the wall of said chamber increasingly to restrict fluid flow therebetween as said valve member is reciprocated away from said inlet, said support means comprising a ball of elastomeric material.

13. A valve including a valve chamber, a resiliently deformable elastomeric spherical valve member within said chamber, an inlet to said chamber providing a seat for said spherical valve member, an outlet from said chamber, said chamber being generally cylindrical with said inlet and outlet at the respective ends thereof, and support means for retaining said spherical valve member within said chamber, said spherical valve member being deformable by fluid pressure in said inlet to cause lateral bulging of said spherical valve member toward the surrounding wall of said chamber to reduce the clearance between said spherical valve member and wall and thereby increasingly restrict the flow of fluid around said spherical valve member as fluid pressure from said inlet increases, said chamber being dimensioned to afford a small amount of clearance for said spherical valve member even when the latter is compressed axially of said chamber by fluid from said inlet as aforesaid.

14. The valve of claim 13 wherein said support means comprises at least one spherical member of less diameter than said chamber, said one spherical member being resiliently deformable under such pressure thereon by said spherical valve member to cause lateral bulging of said one spherical member toward the wall of said chamber.

15. The valve of claim 13 wherein said support means comprises two balls, each of said balls being of approximately the same diameter and slightly smaller than the diameter of said chamber, said balls being resiliently deformable under pressure to cause lateral bulging of said balls toward the wall of said chamber.

16. The valve of claim 14 wherein said one spherical member normally holds said spherical valve member in inlet seating position, said spherical valve member being deformable by fluid pressure in said inlet to permit fluid flow therefrom, and means are provided for adjusting the degree of compression of said one spherical member normally seating said spherical valve member in inlet sealing position.

17. The valve of claim 13 wherein said support means comprises a serrated washer contained within said chamber axially spaced from said seat.

18. The valve of claim 17 wherein said serrated washer is frusto-conical.

19. The valve of claim 17 wherein said serrated washer has a central opening and a plurality of peripheral notches.

20. The valve of claim 19 wherein said support means further comprises at least one spherical member of elastomeric material interposed between said seat and serrated washer.

21. The valve of claim 20 wherein said one spherical member is movable into engagement with said serrated washer by fluid pressure in said inlet to cover the central opening therein while still permitting fluid to flow around said one spherical member through the peripheral notches in said serrated washer.

22. Thevalve of claim 21 wherein said one spherical member is resiliently deformable under pressure to cause lateral bulging of said one spherical member toward the wall of said chamber.

23. The valve of claim 13 wherein said support means comprises a length of resiliently deformable elastomeric tubing of smaller internal diameter than said spherical valve member and in axial alignment therewith.

24. The valve of claim 23 wherein said support means further comprises a serrated washer engaged by the end of said length of tubing remote from said seat.

25. The valve of claim 23 wherein said support means further comprises a spherical member of elastomeric material at the end of said chamber opposite said seat, said length of tubing being axially supported against said spherical member.

26. The valve of claim 25 wherein said support means further comprises a serrated washer engaged by said spherical member.

27. The valve of claim 13 further comprising a first ball check valve downstream of said outlet, bypass means adapted to allow a very restricted flow when said check valve is closed, a secondary fluid inlet to said check valve, and a second ball check valve upstream of said secondary fluid inlet, each of said check valves being operative to close only under abnormally high fluid pressures.

28. The valve of claim 27 wherein a restricted orifice is provided from said second check valve effective to direct a concentrated fluid stream against the ball of said first check valve.

29. The valve of claim 27 wherein said inlet to said chamber and said secondary inlet include means for connection to the atmosphere and the outlet of said first check valve includes means for connection to the manifold of an internal combustion engine.

30. A valve having a valve seat, a valve member, and support means nonnally biasing said valve member against said seat; characterized by said support means being a spherical member of resiliently deformable elastomeric material within a passage providing a small lateral clearance therefor, said spherical member being laterally deformable further to restrict such passage when said valve member is unseated against such bias.

Claims

1. A valve including a valve chamber, an inlet to said chamber, a resiliently deformable elastomeric valve member, and support means for said valve member operative normally to hold said member in inlet sealing position, said valve member being deformable by fluid pressure in said inlet to permit fluid flow therefrom and to cause lateral bulging of said valve member toward the surrounding wall of said chamber to reduce the clearance between said member and wall and thereby increasingly restrict the flow of fluid around said member as fluid pressure from said inlet increases.

8. The valve of claim 7 wherein said valve body is of plastic.

11. The valve of claim 3 wherein said support means normally supports said spherical valve member against said seat to close said inlet, said spherical valve member being resiliently deformable under fluid pressure from said inlet to clear said seat for passage of such fluid.

12. The valve of claim 7 wherein said additional support means comprises a serrated washer contained within said chamber axially spaced from said seat, said serrated washer having a central opening and a plurality of peripheral slots.

18. The valve of claim 17 wherein said serrated washer is frusto-conical.

22. The valve of claim 21 wherein said one spherical member is resiliently deformable under pressure to cause lateral bulging of said one spherical member toward the wall of said chamber.

30. A valve having a valve seat, a valve member, and support means normally biasing said valve member against said seat; characterized by said support means being a spherical member of resiliently deformable elastomeric material within a passage providing a small lateral clearance therefor, said spherical member being laterally deformable further to restrict such passage when said valve member is unseated against such bias.