US3870947A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for measuring the dwell and rpm of an engine
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-11-12
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Granted: 1975-03-11
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Expires: 1993-11-12
Abstract
Abstract This invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring the dwell and r.p.m. of an internal combustion engine. The dwell measurement method and apparatus generally comprises means for generating a first pulse-type signal whenever the distributor points of the engine are in one position of their open and closed positions. The frequency of the first signal is selected to be substantially greater than and independent of the point frequency. A series of pulses, the number of which are proportional to the frequency of the first signal are produced and counted for a selected time interval, and means are provided for displaying a reading which is indicative of and respective to said count. The r.p.m. measurement method and apparatus generally comprises means for generating a pulse-type signal, the frequency of which is proportional to the point frequency, and means for displaying a reading related and responsive to the frequency of said signal.
Inventors
- 👤 Leslie L Fields
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 15:47
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02P; F02P17/00; F02P17/10; G; G01; G01P; G01P3/00; G01P3/42; G01P3/44; G01P3/48; G01P3/481; G01P3/489
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
92 words
Apparatus for measuring the dwell of an internal combustion engine having distributor points which oscillate between open and closed positions during engine operation, the apparatus comprising means for generating a first oscillating signal whenever the distributor points are in one condition, the frequency of the first signal being substantially greater than and independent of the point frequency, means for generating second signals representing a count, the count being related to the number of first signal oscillations generated during a selected time interval, and means for generating a display indicative of said count.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
92 words
Apparatus for measuring the dwell of an internal combustion engine having distributor points which oscillate between open and closed positions during engine operation, the apparatus comprising means for generating a first oscillating signal whenever the distributor points are in one condition, the frequency of the first signal being substantially greater than and independent of the point frequency, means for generating second signals representing a count, the count being related to the number of first signal oscillations generated during a selected time interval, and means for generating a display indicative of said count.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
92 words
Apparatus for measuring the dwell of an internal combustion engine having distributor points which oscillate between open and closed positions during engine operation, the apparatus comprising means for generating a first oscillating signal whenever the distributor points are in one condition, the frequency of the first signal being substantially greater than and independent of the point frequency, means for generating second signals representing a count, the count being related to the number of first signal oscillations generated during a selected time interval, and means for generating a display indicative of said count.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
92 words
Apparatus for measuring the dwell of an internal combustion engine having distributor points which oscillate between open and closed positions during engine operation, the apparatus comprising means for generating a first oscillating signal whenever the distributor points are in one condition, the frequency of the first signal being substantially greater than and independent of the point frequency, means for generating second signals representing a count, the count being related to the number of first signal oscillations generated during a selected time interval, and means for generating a display indicative of said count.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the frequency of the first signal when it is being generated is constant for a given engine being tested.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising counter means for generating said second signals, means for generating a time base signal of a selected frequency, and means to reset said counter means to begin recounting in response to said time base signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising means for generating a time base signal of a selected frequency independent of the point frequency.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first signal is generated whenever the points are closed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
70 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for generating a waveform in response to and indicative of the operation of the points between open and closed positions, and means responsive to said waveform for enabling the first signal generating means to begin generating whenever the points are in the one position and disabling the first signal generating means to stop generating whenever the points are in the other position.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
69 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for producing a third oscillating signal in response to said first signal, the frequency of which is equal to the frequency of said first signal divided by a selected factor, said second signals being generated in response to said third signal and representing a count equal to the number of oscillations of said third signal produced during the selected time interval.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for selecting the frequency of said first signal depending on the number of cylinders of the engine being tested.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
40 words
The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for selecting the frequency of the first signal and the time interval to generate a direct display of the dwell reading in degrees for an engine of a given number of cylinders.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
63 words
The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for selecting a frequency for the first signal for testing an eight-cylinder four-cycle engine of at least 45 times greater than the point frequency, for testing a six-cylinder four-cycle engine, at least 60 times greater than the point frequency, and for testing a four-cylinder four-cycle engine, at least 90 times greater than the point frequency.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising means for selecting the time interval to generate a dwell reading representing an average over several point cycles.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
174 words
Apparatus for measuring the dwell and r.p.m. of an internal combustion engine having distributor points which oscillate between open and closed positions during engine operation, the apparatus comprising means for selecting between a dwell mode and r.p.m. mode for measuring the dwell and r.p.m., respectivEly, of the engine, means when in the dwell mode for generating a first oscillating signal whenever the distributor points are in one position, the frequency of the first signal being substantially greater than the point frequency and being independent of point frequency, means when in the r.p.m. mode for generating a second oscillating signal the frequency of which is proportional to the point frequency, means for generating third signals representing a count, the count being related to the number of first signal oscillations generated during a selected time interval when in the dwell mode and being related to the number of second signal oscillations generated during a selected time interval when in the r.p.m. mode, and means for generating a display indicative of said count when in either mode.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
174 words
Apparatus for measuring the dwell and r.p.m. of an internal combustion engine having distributor points which oscillate between open and closed positions during engine operation, the apparatus comprising means for selecting between a dwell mode and r.p.m. mode for measuring the dwell and r.p.m., respectivEly, of the engine, means when in the dwell mode for generating a first oscillating signal whenever the distributor points are in one position, the frequency of the first signal being substantially greater than the point frequency and being independent of point frequency, means when in the r.p.m. mode for generating a second oscillating signal the frequency of which is proportional to the point frequency, means for generating third signals representing a count, the count being related to the number of first signal oscillations generated during a selected time interval when in the dwell mode and being related to the number of second signal oscillations generated during a selected time interval when in the r.p.m. mode, and means for generating a display indicative of said count when in either mode.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising counter means for generating said third signals, means for generating a time base signal of a selected frequency, and means to reset said counter means to begin recounting in response to said time base signal when in either mode.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
109 words
The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising means for producing a fourth oscillation signal in response to said first signal the frequency of which is equal to the frequency of said first signal divided by a first selected factor when in the dwell mode, and in response to said second signal the frequency of which is equal to the frequency of said second signal divided by a second selected factor when in the r.p.m. mode, said third signals being generated in response to said fourth signal in either mode and representing a count equal to the number of oscillations of said fourth signal produced during the selected time interval.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising means for selecting the frequency of the time base signal when in the r.p.m. mode depending on the number of cylinders of the engine being tested.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
49 words
The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising means responsive to the mode selection and the frequency selections of the first generating means and time base generating means for indicating the mode setting of the apparatus and its setting relative to the number of cylinders of the engine being tested.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
107 words
A method for measuring the dwell of an internal combustion engine having distributor points which oscillate between open and closed positions during engine operation, the method comprising the steps of generating a first oscillating signal whenever the distributor points are in one condition such that the frequency of the first signal is substantially greater than and independent of the point frequency, generating second signals in response to said first signal, said second signals representing a count, said count being related to the number of first signal pulses generated during a selected time interval, and generating a display indicative of said count in response to said second signals.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
107 words
A method for measuring the dwell of an internal combustion engine having distributor points which oscillate between open and closed positions during engine operation, the method comprising the steps of generating a first oscillating signal whenever the distributor points are in one condition such that the frequency of the first signal is substantially greater than and independent of the point frequency, generating second signals in response to said first signal, said second signals representing a count, said count being related to the number of first signal pulses generated during a selected time interval, and generating a display indicative of said count in response to said second signals.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 17 wherein said first signals are generated at a constant frequency during the time it is generated for a particular engine being tested.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
78 words
The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of generating a time base signal of a selected frequency, counting a number of occillations proportional to the first signal oscillations generated during a selected time interval determined by the frequency of the time base signal, and continually recounting oscillations proportional to the number of first signal oscillations generated during recurring time intervals of the same length as the selected time interval in response to said time base signal.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of generating a time base signal of a selected frequency which remains constant with variations in point frequency.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 17 wherein said first signal is generated whenever the points are closed.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 17 including the step of selecting the frequency of the first signal and the time interval for an engine of a given nUmber of cylinders to generate a direct display of the dwell reading in degrees.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-10 | 1978-09-09 | 1979-03-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-10 | 1982-09-09 | 1983-03-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-10 | 1986-09-09 | 1987-03-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |