Automatic idle speed controller

Claim 2

An idle speed controller system for an internal combustion engine having an intake manifold and a carburetor including a throttle plate, said controller constructed to open said throttle plate in response to a decrease in intake manifold vacuum, a sensor-modulator assembly, motion transfer means interconnecting the throttle plate and the sensor-modulator assembly, a vacuum motor, passage means communicating said intake manifold, sensormodulator assembly and vacuum motor, said sensor-modulator assembly including a valve means movable in response to changes in both intake manifold vacuum and throttle blade angle to progressively open and close atmospheric air bleed means, the opening of said valve means decreasing the magnitude of the vacuum signal communicated to said vacuum motor, means connecting said throttle plate and said vacuum motor constructed to open the throttle plate in response to a decrease in vacuum signal to said vacuum motor.

Claim 3

An idle speed controller system for an internal combustion engine including a carburetor having at least one barrel formed therein, a throttle plate positioned within said barrel, a shaft pivotally supporting said throttle plate within said barrel, said throttle plate being movable to increase and decrease restriction of the barrel, and a lever secured to the shaft movable with the throttle plate, an intake manifold in communication with said carburetor barrel, said carburetor barrel downstream of said throttle plate and the intake manifold being defined as a source of intake manifold vacuum, said idle speed controller system comprising a sensor-modulator assembly, a vacuum motor, passage means communicating said sensor-modulator assembly, said vacuum motor and said source of intake manifold vacuum, said sensor-modulator assembly including a valve means having a movable element which when open permits atmospheric air to bleed into said passage means, means positioning said movable valve element responsive to intake manifold vacuum and throttle blade angle, an increase in manifold vacuum tending to close said valve means, an opening movement of said throttle plate tending to close said valve means, said vacuum motor having a movable element spring biased toward a maximum extending position, an increase in vacuum signal to said motor causing a withdraw of said movable element, said vacuum motor being connected to the throttle lever to increase the opening of the throttle blade in response to a decrease in vacuum signal and decrease the opening of the throttle blade in response to an increase in the vacuum signal, said vacuum signal varying in response to the vacuum within said intake manifold and the amount of atmospheric air bled into said passage through said sensor-modulator valve means.

Claim 4

An idle speed controller system for an internal combustion engine including a carburetor having at least one barrel formed therein, a throttle plate positioned within said barrel, a shaft pivotally supporting said throttle plate within said barrel, said throttle plate being movable to increase and decrease restriction of the barrel, and a lever secured to the shaft movable with the throttle plate, an intake manifold in communication with said carburetor barrel, said carburetor barrel downstream of said throttle plate and the intake manifold being defined as a source of intake manifold vacuum, said idle speed controller system comprising a sensor-modulator assembly, a vacuum motor, passage means communicating said sensor-modulator assembly, said vacuum motor and said source of intake manifold vacuum, said sensor-modulator assembly including a valve means having a movable element which when open permits atmospheric air to bleed into said passage means, means positioning said movable valve element responsive to intake manifold vacuum and throttle blade angle, an increase in manifold vacuum tending to close said valve means, an opening movement of said throttle plate tending to close said valve means, said vacuum motor having a movable element spring biased toward a maximum extending position, an increase in vacuum signal to said motor causing a withdraw of said movable element, said vacuum motor being connected to the throttle lever to increase the opening of the throttle blade in response to a decrease in vacuum signal and decrease the opening of the throttle blade in response to an increase in the vacuum signal, said vacuum signal varying in response to the vacuum within said intake manifold and the amount of atmospheric air bled into said passage through said sensor-modulator valve means.

Claim 5

An idle speed controller system for an internal combustion engine including a carburetor having at least one barrel formed therein and a throttle plate pivotally mounted within said barrel, an intake manifold in communication with said carburetor barrel, said carburetor barrel downstream of said throttle plate and the intake manifold being defined as a source of intake manifold vacuum, said idle speed controller system comprising a sensor-modulator assembly, a first vacuum motor, passage means communicating said sensor-moduLator assembly, said vacuum motor and said source of intake manifold vacuum, said sensor-modulator comprising a housing, a first lever arm pivotally mounted to said housing movable about a first axis fixed relative to said housing, a second lever arm pivotally connected to said first lever arm movable about a second axis fixed relative to said first lever arm and parallel to and spaced from said first axis, means operably connecting said first lever arm to said throttle plate to move said throttle plate and said first lever means simultaneously for a portion of the initial opening and final closing travel of said throttle plate, valve means positioned in said housing having a movable element biased into engagement with said second lever means, said valve progressively venting said passage means to bleed atmospheric air thereto and to modulate the vacuum signal to said first vacuum motor, said vacuum signal being defined as the intake manifold vacuum pressure from said source of intake manifold vacuum modulated by said valve means of said sensor assembly, a second vacuum motor positioned in said housing having movable means responsive to changes in intake manifold vacuum and constructed to move said second lever arm about said second axis, said first vacuum motor means being responsive to said vacuum signal and operably connected to said throttle plate to open and close said throttle plate in response to changes in said vacuum signal.

Claim 6

An idle speed controller system for an internal combustion engine including a carburetor having at least one barrel formed therein and a throttle plate pivotally mounted within said barrel, an intake manifold in communication with said carburetor barrel, said carburetor barrel downstream of said throttle plate and the intake manifold being defined as a source of intake manifold vacuum, said idle speed controller system comprising a sensor-modulator assembly, a first vacuum motor, passage means communicating said sensor-moduLator assembly, said vacuum motor and said source of intake manifold vacuum, said sensor-modulator comprising a housing, a first lever arm pivotally mounted to said housing movable about a first axis fixed relative to said housing, a second lever arm pivotally connected to said first lever arm movable about a second axis fixed relative to said first lever arm and parallel to and spaced from said first axis, means operably connecting said first lever arm to said throttle plate to move said throttle plate and said first lever means simultaneously for a portion of the initial opening and final closing travel of said throttle plate, valve means positioned in said housing having a movable element biased into engagement with said second lever means, said valve progressively venting said passage means to bleed atmospheric air thereto and to modulate the vacuum signal to said first vacuum motor, said vacuum signal being defined as the intake manifold vacuum pressure from said source of intake manifold vacuum modulated by said valve means of said sensor assembly, a second vacuum motor positioned in said housing having movable means responsive to changes in intake manifold vacuum and constructed to move said second lever arm about said second axis, said first vacuum motor means being responsive to said vacuum signal and operably connected to said throttle plate to open and close said throttle plate in response to changes in said vacuum signal.

Claim 7

An idle speed controller according to claim 3, second passage means communicating said second vacuum motor and the source of intake manifold vacuum, second valve means in said second passage means constructed to open and close a second atmospheric air bleed, thermosensitive means responsive to engine temperature, means operably connecting said second valve means and said thermosensitive means, whereby said vacuum motor signal to said first vacuum motor is a function of intake manifold vacuum, throttle plate angle and engine temperature.

Claim 8

An idle speed controller according to claim 3, a vacuum reservoir communicating with said first vacuum motor means, third valve means between said vacuum reservoir and said first vacuum motor constructed to open and close said reservoir to said first vacuum motor means, a spring biased solenoid connected to said third valve means opening said third valve means when the engine ignition circuit is opened and closing said third valve means when the circuit is closed.

Claim 9

An idle speed controller according to claim 4, a vacuum reservoir communicating with said first vacuum motor means, third valve means between said vacuum reservoir and said first vacuum motor constructed to open and close said reservoir to said first vacuum motor means, a solenoid connected to said third valve means opening said third valve means when the engine ignition circuit is opened and closing said third valve means when the circuit is closed,

Claim 10

An idle speed controller system for an internal combustion engine including: a carburetor having at least one barrel formed therein and a throttle plate pivotally mounted within said barrel, an intake manifold in communication with said carburetor barrel, said carburetor barrel downstream of said throttle plate and the intake manifold being defined as a source of intake manifold vacuum, said idle speed controller system comprising a sensor-modulator assembly, a first vacuum motor, passage means communicating said sensor-modulator assembly, said vacuum motor and said source of intake manifold vacuum, said sensor-modulator comprising a housing, a first lever arm pivotally mounted to said housing movable about a first axis fixed relative to said housing, a second lever arm pivotally connected to said first lever arm movable about a second axis fixed relative to said first lever arm and parallel to and spaced from said first axIs, means operably connecting said first lever arm to said throttle plate to move said throttle plate and said first lever means simultaneously for an initial portion of the range of travel of said throttle plate, first valve means positioned in said housing having a movable element biased into engagement with said second lever means, said first valve means progressively venting said passage means to bleed atmospheric air thereto and to modulate the vacuum signal to said first vacuum motor, said vacuum signal being defined as the intake manifold vacuum pressure from said source of intake manifold vacuum modulated by said first valve means of said sensor assembly, a second vacuum motor positioned in said housing having movable means responsive to changes in intake manifold vacuum and constructed to move said second lever arm about said second axis, a decrease in intake manifold vacuum causing said second vacuum motor means to displace said second lever arm toward a position tending to open said valve means, an increase in intake manifold vacuum tending to close said valve means, said first vacuum motor means being responsive to said vacuum signal and operably connected to said throttle plate to increase the opening and angle of said throttle plate upon a decrease in vacuum signal magnitude and to decrease the opening and angle of said throttle plate upon an increase in vacuum signal magnitude.

Claim 11

An idle speed controller system for an internal combustion engine including: a carburetor having at least one barrel formed therein and a throttle plate pivotally mounted within said barrel, an intake manifold in communication with said carburetor barrel, said carburetor barrel downstream of said throttle plate and the intake manifold being defined as a source of intake manifold vacuum, said idle speed controller system comprising a sensor-modulator assembly, a first vacuum motor, passage means communicating said sensor-modulator assembly, said vacuum motor and said source of intake manifold vacuum, said sensor-modulator comprising a housing, a first lever arm pivotally mounted to said housing movable about a first axis fixed relative to said housing, a second lever arm pivotally connected to said first lever arm movable about a second axis fixed relative to said first lever arm and parallel to and spaced from said first axIs, means operably connecting said first lever arm to said throttle plate to move said throttle plate and said first lever means simultaneously for an initial portion of the range of travel of said throttle plate, first valve means positioned in said housing having a movable element biased into engagement with said second lever means, said first valve means progressively venting said passage means to bleed atmospheric air thereto and to modulate the vacuum signal to said first vacuum motor, said vacuum signal being defined as the intake manifold vacuum pressure from said source of intake manifold vacuum modulated by said first valve means of said sensor assembly, a second vacuum motor positioned in said housing having movable means responsive to changes in intake manifold vacuum and constructed to move said second lever arm about said second axis, a decrease in intake manifold vacuum causing said second vacuum motor means to displace said second lever arm toward a position tending to open said valve means, an increase in intake manifold vacuum tending to close said valve means, said first vacuum motor means being responsive to said vacuum signal and operably connected to said throttle plate to increase the opening and angle of said throttle plate upon a decrease in vacuum signal magnitude and to decrease the opening and angle of said throttle plate upon an increase in vacuum signal magnitude.

Claim 12

An idle speed controller according to claim 7, second passage means communicating said second vacuum motor and the source of intake manifold vacuum, second valve means in said second passage means constructed to open and close an atmospheric air bleed, thermosensitive means responsive to engine temperature, means operably connecting said second valve means and said thermosensitive means, whereby said vacuum motor signal to said first vacuum motor is a function of intake manifold vacuum, throttle plate angle and engine temperature.

Claim 13

An idle speed controller according to claim 7, a vacuum reservoir communicating with said first vacuum motor means, third valve means between said vacuum reservoir and said first vacuum motor means, a solenoid connected to said third valve means opening said third valve means when the engine ignition circuit is opened and closing said third valve means when the circuit is closed, whereby the vacuum from the reservoir communicated to the first vacuum motor means upon opening the engine ignition circuit causes the throttle plate to be displaced to its most nearly closed position.

Claim 14

In a carburetor having a throttle lever secured to the throttle plate and movable therewith and first spring means biasing the throttle plate toward a closed position, an idle speed controller system according to claim 7, said sensor-modulator assembly having a follower lever fixed to said first lever arm to move therewith, second spring means biasing said first lever arm and said input follower toward abutting engagement with the throttle lever, said second spring means opposing the first spring means.

Claim 15

An idle speed controller system according to claim 10, the axes of rotation of the throttle lever and said first lever arm being colinear.

Claim 16

An idle speed controller system according to claim 10, said first vacuum motor including a movable member engagable with the throttle lever, the first spring means biasing the throttle lever toward engagement with said movable member.