Fuel supply system

Claim 1

FUEL CONTROL APPARATUS FOR A COMBUSTION ENGINE HAVING A PLURALITY OF CYLINDERS AND A FUEL INJECTION NOZZLE ASSOCIATED WITH EACH CYLINDER, COMPRISING A SOURCE OF PRESSURIZED FUEL, A FUEL CONDUIT CONNECTED TO RECEIVE FUEL FROM SAID SOURCE, VALVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FUEL CONDUIT FOR CONTROLLING FUEL FLOW THERETHROUGH, A FUEL DISTRIBUTOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FUEL CONDUIT DOWNSTREAM FROM SAID VALVE MEANS AND IN SERIES FLOW THEREWITH, SAID FUEL DISTRIBUTOR INCLUDING A CASING HAVING AN INLET PORT AND A PLURALITY OF OUTLET PORTS, A PASSAGE CONNECTING EACH OF THE OUTLET PORTS WITH AN ASSOCIATED FUEL INJECTION NOZZLE, AN ANNULAR MEMBER FIXEDLY SECURED IN POSITION IN SAID CASING AND PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RADIALLY EXTENDING PASSAGES, EACH OF SAID RADIALLY EXTENDING PASSAGES COMMUNICATING WITH AN ASSOCIATED OUTLET PORT, A VALVE MEMBER SLIDABLY CARRIED BY SAID ANNULAR MEMBER AND MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID PLURALITY OF RADIALLY EXTENDING PASSAGES TO THEREBY VARY THE EFFECTIVE FLOW AREA OF EACH OF THE RADIALLY EXTENDING PASSAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY, PRESSURE RESPONSIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID VALVE MEMBER FOR CONTROLLING THE POSITION THEREOF, SAID PRESSURE RESPONSIVE MEANS BEING VENTED TO THE FUEL PRESSURE AT SAID INLET PORT AND TO AMBIENT AIR PRESSURE AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL THEREBETWEEN, AND RESILIENT MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID VALVE MEMBER FOR BIASING THE SAME TOWARD A CLOSED POSITION IN OPPOSITION TO SAID PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL.