Manifold vacuum controlled supplemental air inlet with air filtering means

Claim 2

In combination with the intake manifold of a naturally aspirated combustion engine, a supplemental air inlet system for said manifold, said system including an inlet line having one outlet end portion thereof opening into the interior of said manifold, flow control valve means operatively associated with the other intake end portion of said line for variably controlling the flow of air thereinto, said slot control valve means including vacuum motor driven actuating means communicated with the interior of said manifold and operative to open and close said valve means in response to increasing and decreasing manifold vacuum, respectively, said intake end portion including a plurality of tubular neck portions spaced therealong and projecting outwardly from one side thereof, a plurality of normally closed valve assemblies secured in said neck portions and including spring-urged outwardly projecting actuators movable inwardly relative to said neck portions against the biasing action of the corresponding springs to open said valve assemblies, said actuating means including an elongated actuator lever extending along said intake end portion and overlying the outer ends of said actuators, means pivotally supporting one end of said lever fRom said intake end portion for oscillation about an axis disposed generally normal to a plane containing said lever and a portion of said intake end portion from which said neck portions are supported, whereby the other end portion of said lever may be swung toward and away from said intake end portion and the outer ends of said actuators may be engaged by said lever upon swinging movement of the other end of said lever toward said intake end portion, and a vacuum motor operatively communicated with the interior of said manifold and supported from said intake end portion, said vacuum motor including a drive portion reciprocal in a path generally paralleling said plane and extending transversely of said lever, and motion transmitting means operatively connected between said drive portion and the other end of said lever for swinging said other end toward and away from said one side of said intake end portion in response to increasing and decreasing vacuum in said manifold.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 wherein the maximum effective opening of said valve means is sufficiently small to restrict the admission of supplemental air into said manifold to quantities insufficient to appreciably reduce the vacuum in said manifold.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 1 wherein said means pivotally supporting said one end of said lever from said intake end portion includes means operative to adjustably laterally shift the axis of oscillation of said lever toward and away from said one side of said intake end portion.

Claim 5

In combination with the intake manifold of a naturally aspirated combustion engine, a supplemental air inlet system for said manifold, said system including an inlet line having one outlet end portion thereof opening into the interior of said manifold, flow control valve means operatively associated with the other intake end portion of said line for variably controlling the flow of air thereinto, said flow control valve means including vacuum motor driven actuating means communicated with the interior of said manifold and operative to open and close said valve means in response to increasing and decreasing manifold vacuum, respectively, said air inlet line including a rigid generally U-shaped portion defining a mounting portion adapted to be stationarily supported from any suitable support surface, said U-shaped portion defining a pair of generally parallel tubular legs interconnected at one pair of corresponding ends by means of a tubular bight portion, said bight portion including a plurality of tubular neck portions spaced therealong and projecting outwardly from the side of said bight portion remote from said legs, a plurality of normally closed valve assemblies secured in said neck portions and including spring urged outwardly projecting actuators movable inwardly relative to said neck portions against the biasing action of the corresponding springs to open said valve assemblies, said actuating means including an elongated actuating lever, mounting means on said U-shaped portion adjacent one end of said bight portion to which one end of said lever is pivotally secured for oscillation about an axis disposed generally normal to the medial plane of said U-shaped portion, said lever extending along said bight portion from said one end thereof and overlying the outer ends of said actuators and being engageable with the latter upon swinging of the other end of said lever in the direction in which said legs extend in order to inwardly displace said actuators for opening said valve assemblies, a cross brace secured between the free ends of said legs, a vacuum motor operatively communicated with the interior of said manifold and supported from said brace and including a drive portion reciprocal toward and away from said bight portion in response to decreasing and increasing vacuum in said manifold, and motion transmitting means operatively connected between said drive portion and the other end of said lever.

Claim 6

In combination with the intake manifold of a naturally aspirated combustion engine, a supplemental air inlet system for said manifold, said system including an inlet line having one outlet end portion thereof opening into the interior of said manifold, flow control valve means operatively associated with the other intake end portion of said line for variably controlling the flow of air thereinto, said flow control valve means including vacuum motor driven actuating means communicated with the interior of said manifold and operative to open and close said valve means in response to increasing and decreasing manifold vacuum, respectively, said air inlet line including a rigid generally U-shaped portion defining a mounting portion adapted to be stationarily supported from any suitable support surface, said U-shaped portion defining a pair of generally parallel tubular legs interconnected at one pair of corresponding ends by means of a tubular bight portion, said bight portion including a plurality of tubular neck portions spaced therealong and projecting outwardly from the side of said bight portion remote from said legs, a plurality of normally closed valve assemblies secured in said neck portions and including spring urged outwardly projecting actuators movable inwardly relative to said neck portions against the biasing action of the corresponding springs to open said valve assemblies, said actuating means including an elongated actuating lever, mounting means on said U-shaped portion adjacent one end of said bight portion to which one end of said lever is pivotally secured for oscillation about an axis disposed generally normal to the medial plane of said U-shaped portion, said lever extending along said bight portion from said one end thereof and overlying the outer ends of said actuators and being engageable with the latter upon swinging of the other end of said lever in the direction in which said legs extend in order to inwardly displace said actuators for opening said valve assemblies, a cross brace secured between the free ends of said legs, a vacuum motor operatively communicated with the interior of said manifold and supported from said brace and including a drive portion reciprocal toward and away from said bight portion in response to decreasing and increasing vacuum in said manifold, and motion transmitting means operatively connected between said drive portion and the other end of said lever.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 4 wherein said motion transmitting means includes a rigid rod whose opposite ends are pivotally supported from said lever and drive portion.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 5 wherein said bight portion has a guide sleeve sealingly secured therethrough generally paralleling said legs and through which said rod is slidingly and guidingly received.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 4 wherein said mounting means is supported from said U-shaped member for adjustable positioning along a path generally paralleling said legs.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 4 including liquid trap air cleaner means disposed in said inlet line.