Electronic carburetion system for low exhaust emmissions of internal combustion engines

Claim 2

In an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber wherein fuel is admixed with an airstream and combusted in the combustion chamber thereof, an electronic carburetion system for controlling the air/fuel ratio effected within the combustion chamber, comprising: a transducer means connected to measure the airstream flow rate to the combustion chamber of the engine, said transducer means including circuitry which produces a first signal which is proportional to the measured airstream flow rate; a positive displacement fuel pump means connected to supply a flow of fuel to the combustion chamber; electrical circuit means including a power source for driving said fuel pump means; circuit means by which the magnitude of said power source is made proportional to said first signal; means including electrical circuitry by which the speed of the pump means is measured and the measurement converted into a second signal thereby providing a signal which is proportional to the fuel flow rate from the pump means; circuitry means for selecting a finite fuel flow rate for a finite air flow rate; means including circuitry, by which said first and second signals are compared to one another and to said selected fuel and air flow rate so as to determine that said finite fuel flow rate for said finite air flow rate is present in the combustion chamber; means by which said first signal is changed to a value to cause the resultant fuel flow rate from the pump to be the selected finite fuel flow rate for the selected air flow rate.

Claim 3

An electronic fuel induction system for controlling the air/fuel ratio of a combustible mixture as the mixture flows to the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprising: means for measuring air flow rate to the combustion chambers, means converting said measurement into a first signal; said means for measuring the air flow rate is a transducer; said transducer having a rotor and a stator with the rotor being disposed within the air stream of the air flowing to the motor, means rotatably mounting said rotor with respect to said stator, and means responsive to rotation of said rotor for measuring the speed of said rotor; a fuel pump means for delivering fuel to the combustion chamber of the engine, means providing a driving force for said fuel pump in proportion to said first signal; means measuring the fuel flow rate delivered by said pump, meanS converting the last said measurement into a second signal; means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and means responsive to said means for comparing for changing the fuel flow rate so as to change said second signal to a value which maintains the air/fuel ratio at a predetermined value; said rotor is made of foamed polyurethane so as to provide a lightweight rotor; and, said journal means being axially located in said rotor.

Claim 4

An electronic fuel induction system for controlling the air/fuel ratio of a combustible mixture as the mixture flows to the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprising: means for measuring air flow rate to the combustion chambers, means converting said measurement into a first signal; said means for measuring the air flow rate is a transducer; said transducer having a rotor and a stator with the rotor being disposed within the air stream of the air flowing to the motor, means rotatably mounting said rotor with respect to said stator, and means responsive to rotation of said rotor for measuring the speed of said rotor; a fuel pump means for delivering fuel to the combustion chamber of the engine, means providing a driving force for said fuel pump in proportion to said first signal; means measuring the fuel flow rate delivered by said pump, meanS converting the last said measurement into a second signal; means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and means responsive to said means for comparing for changing the fuel flow rate so as to change said second signal to a value which maintains the air/fuel ratio at a predetermined value; said rotor is made of foamed polyurethane so as to provide a lightweight rotor; and, said journal means being axially located in said rotor.

Claim 5

converting the measurement obtained in step (1) into a signal which is proportional to the air flow rate;

Claim 6

converting the measurement obtained in step (1) into a signal which is proportional to the air flow rate;

Claim 7

driving a positive displacement fuel pump at a rate which is proportional to the signal of step (2); and flowing the fuel into the combustion chambers of the engine;

Claim 8

driving a positive displacement fuel pump at a rate which is proportional to the signal of step (2); and flowing the fuel into the combustion chambers of the engine;

Claim 9

An electronic fuel induction system for controlling the air/fuel ratio of a combustible mixture as the mixture flows to the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, comprising: means for measuring air flow rate to the combustion chambers, means converting said measurement into a first signal; a fuel pump means for delivering fuel to the combustion chamber of the engine, means providing a driving force for said fuel pump in proportion to said first signal; means measuring the fuel flow rate delivered by said pump, means converting the last said measurement into a second signal; means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and means responsive to said means for comparing for changing the fuel flow rate so as to change said second signal to a value which maintains the air/fuel ratio at a predetermined value; said means for measuring air flow rate is a transducer having a housing, a stator, and a rotor; said means converting said measurement into a first signal including means for providing said signal in response to the rate of rotation of the rotor relative to the stator; said housing being in the form of a cylinder and having an inlet end portion and an outlet end portion; means mounting said stator axially of said housing, the effective outside diameter of said stator being smaller than the inside diameter of said housing to thereby provide an annulus therebetween; shaft means affixed to said stator; journal means by which said rotor is rotatably received by said shaft means; said rotor having a plurality of blades radiating therefrom, a portion of said blades being disposed within said annulus.

Claim 10

An electronic fuel induction system for controlling the air/fuel ratio of a combustible mixture as the mixture flows to the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, comprising: means for measuring air flow rate to the combustion chambers, means converting said measurement into a first signal; a fuel pump means for delivering fuel to the combustion chamber of the engine, means providing a driving force for said fuel pump in proportion to said first signal; means measuring the fuel flow rate delivered by said pump, means converting the last said measurement into a second signal; means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and means responsive to said means for comparing for changing the fuel flow rate so as to change said second signal to a value which maintains the air/fuel ratio at a predetermined value; said means for measuring air flow rate is a transducer having a housing, a stator, and a rotor; said means converting said measurement into a first signal including means for providing said signal in response to the rate of rotation of the rotor relative to the stator; said housing being in the form of a cylinder and having an inlet end portion and an outlet end portion; means mounting said stator axially of said housing, the effective outside diameter of said stator being smaller than the inside diameter of said housing to thereby provide an annulus therebetween; shaft means affixed to said stator; journal means by which said rotor is rotatably received by said shaft means; said rotor having a plurality of blades radiating therefrom, a portion of said blades being disposed within said annulus.

Claim 11

In an internal combustion engine wherein fuel is admixed with an air stream and combusted in a combustion chamber thereof, an electronic carburetion system for controlling the air/fuel ratio flowing to the combustion chamber of the apparatus, comprising: a transducer means connected to monitor the air stream flow rate, said transducer means generates a first signal which is proportional to the air flow rate to the combustion chamber; a positive displacement fuel pump means connected to supply a flow of fuel to the combustion chamber; electrical circuit means including a power source for driving said fuel pump means; circuit means by which the magnitude of said power source is made proportional to said first signal; means including electrical circuitry by which the speed of the pump means is measured and the measurement converted into a second signal thereby providing a signal which is proportional to the fuel flow rate from the pump means; circuit means for selecting a finite fuel flow rate for a finite air flow rate; means including circuitry, by which said first and second signals are compared to one another and to said selected fuel and air flow rate so as to determine that said finite fuel flow rate for said finite air flow rate is present in the combustion chamber; means by which said second signal is changed to a value to cause the resultant fuel flow rate from the pump to be the selected finite fuel flow rate for the selected air flow rate.

Claim 12

In an internal combustion engine wherein fuel is admixed with an air stream and combusted in a combustion chamber thereof, an electronic carburetion system for controlling the air/fuel ratio flowing to the combustion chamber of the apparatus, comprising: a transducer means connected to monitor the air stream flow rate, said transducer means generates a first signal which is proportional to the air flow rate to the combustion chamber; a positive displacement fuel pump means connected to supply a flow of fuel to the combustion chamber; electrical circuit means including a power source for driving said fuel pump means; circuit means by which the magnitude of said power source is made proportional to said first signal; means including electrical circuitry by which the speed of the pump means is measured and the measurement converted into a second signal thereby providing a signal which is proportional to the fuel flow rate from the pump means; circuit means for selecting a finite fuel flow rate for a finite air flow rate; means including circuitry, by which said first and second signals are compared to one another and to said selected fuel and air flow rate so as to determine that said finite fuel flow rate for said finite air flow rate is present in the combustion chamber; means by which said second signal is changed to a value to cause the resultant fuel flow rate from the pump to be the selected finite fuel flow rate for the selected air flow rate.

Claim 13

measuring the rate at which the positive displacement pump of step (3) is driven;

Claim 14

measuring the rate at which the positive displacement pump of step (3) is driven;

Claim 15

converting the measurement of step (4) into a signal which varies in proportion to the pump speed;

Claim 16

converting the measurement of step (4) into a signal which varies in proportion to the pump speed;

Claim 17

An electronic fuel induction system for controlling the A/F ratio of a combustible mixture as the mixture flows to the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprising: a transducer for measuring air flow rate to the combustion chambers, said transducer having a rotor and a stator with the rotor being disposed within the air stream of the aiR flowing to the motor, means rotatably mounting said rotor with respect to said stator, said rotor being made of foamed plastic so as to provide a lightweight rotor assembly; means responsive to rotation of said rotor for measuring the speed of said rotor to thereby provide a first signal; a fuel pump means for delivering fuel to the combustion chamber of the engine, means providing a driving force for said fuel pump in proportion to said first signal; means measuring the fuel flow rate delivered by said pump, means converting the last said measurement into a second signal; means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and means responsive to said means for comparing for changing the fuel flow rate so as to change said second signal to a value which maintains the A/F ratio at a predetermined value.

Claim 18

An electronic fuel induction system for controlling the A/F ratio of a combustible mixture as the mixture flows to the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprising: a transducer for measuring air flow rate to the combustion chambers, said transducer having a rotor and a stator with the rotor being disposed within the air stream of the aiR flowing to the motor, means rotatably mounting said rotor with respect to said stator, said rotor being made of foamed plastic so as to provide a lightweight rotor assembly; means responsive to rotation of said rotor for measuring the speed of said rotor to thereby provide a first signal; a fuel pump means for delivering fuel to the combustion chamber of the engine, means providing a driving force for said fuel pump in proportion to said first signal; means measuring the fuel flow rate delivered by said pump, means converting the last said measurement into a second signal; means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and means responsive to said means for comparing for changing the fuel flow rate so as to change said second signal to a value which maintains the A/F ratio at a predetermined value.

Claim 19

The fuel induction system of claim 5, wherein said foamed plastic is polyurethane.

Claim 20

comparing the measurement obtained in step (5) to the measurement obtained in step (2);

Claim 21

comparing the measurement obtained in step (5) to the measurement obtained in step (2);

Claim 22

changing the rate in step (3) to cause the results of step (6) to remain at a finite value representative of a selected air/fuel ratio.

Claim 23

changing the rate in step (3) to cause the results of step (6) to remain at a finite value representative of a selected air/fuel ratio.

Claim 24

The fuel induction system of claim 5, wherein said means responsive to rotation of said rotor includes a magnet attached to said rotor, means mounting a magnetically actuated switch adjacent to said magnet whereby rotation of said magnet moves the contacts of said switch to the opened and closed position.

Claim 25

The fuel induction system of claim 5, wherein said signal is in the form of a frequency which is proportional to the rotor speed; means for converting said frequency to a proportional current, and means driving a fuel pump in response to said current; said second signal being in the form of a frequency which is proportional to the fuel flow; means for converting the last said frequency to a proportional current; and, said means for comparing including a current summing unit which tends to maintain the recited proportional currents at a predetermined set value.

Claim 26

measuring the air flow rate of step (1) by actuating a frequency generator in response to the rate of the volumetric air flow; and

Claim 27

measuring the air flow rate of step (1) by actuating a frequency generator in response to the rate of the volumetric air flow; and

Claim 28

changing the generated frequency into a current Which is proportional to the generated frequency in accordance with step (2).

Claim 29

changing the generated frequency into a current Which is proportional to the generated frequency in accordance with step (2).

Claim 30

The fuel induction system of claim 5, wherein said fuel pump means is a positive displacement pump; and further including a pump motor, means connecting said motor to said pump, said means for controlling the flow rate from said fuel pump includes means for controlling the speed of said motor.

Claim 31

The system of claim 1, wherein said means for measuring the air flow rate is a transducer; said transducer having a rotor and a stator with the rotor being disposed within the air stream of the air flowing to the motor, means rotatably mounting said rotor with respect to said stator, and means responsive to rotation of said rotor for measuring the speed of said rotor.

Claim 32

The improvement of claim 10 wherein said means responsive to rotation of said rotor includes a magnet attached to said rotor, means mounting a magnetically actuated switch adjacent to said magnet whereby rotation of said magnet moves the contacts of said switch to the opened and closed position.

Claim 33

Method for controlling the air/fuel ratio in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprising the steps of:

Claim 34

Method for controlling the air/fuel ratio in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprising the steps of:

Claim 35

The method of claim 12, and further including the steps of:

Claim 36

The method of claim 13 wherein step (4) is carried out by utilizing the motion of a fuel pump drive means to generate a second drequency which is proportional to the fuel flow rate, and changing the second frequency into a current having similar characteristics of the air flow rate current, in accordance with step (5).

Claim 37

The method of claim 12, and further including an acceleration enrichment detection means; means forming an acceleration compensation current converter for producing a signal proportional to said detection means; including the last signal in step (6) so as to enrich the A/F ratio upon sudden increase in the manifold pressure.

Claim 38

The transducer of claim 3, wherein said means for providing a signal includes a magnetically actuated switch means affixed to said stator, and a rotatable magnet; said switch means being disposed in close proximity to said magnet; said rotatable magnet being affixed to said rotor and forming part of the journal means.

Claim 39

The transducer of claim 3, wherein said rotor includes a main body portion to which said blades are integrally formed therewith, said rotor being made of foamed polyurethane.

Claim 40

The transducer of claim 3, wherein said journal means includes a magnet; and, said means for providing a signal includes means responsive to rotational movement of said magnet.

Claim 41

The system of claim 4, wherein said means for producing said first signal is a transducer, said transducer includes a rotor which is turned in proportion to the air flow rate, said transducer having means for producing a signal in the form of a frequency which is proportional to the rotor speed; means for converting said frequency to a proportional current, and means driving said fuel flow producing means in response to the magnitude of said current; said second signal being in the form of a frequency which is proportional to the fuel flow; means for converting the last said frequency to a proportional current; and, said means for comparing including a current summing unit which tends to maintain the recited proportional currents at a predetermined set value.