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US5083455A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Air meter for an internal combustion engine and method of producing the same

Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
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Filing: 1990-08-17
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Granted: 1992-01-28
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Expires: 2010-08-17
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Abstract

Abstract An air meter for an internal combustion engine. The air intake passage of the internal combustion engine includes a main passage and an L-shaped auxiliary passage. The auxiliary passage includes a first flow passage, a second flow passage and a corner portion arrnaged at a corner thereof. The first flow passage communicates to the second flow passage through the corner portion. The first flow passage is disposed in parallel with the main passage and has a hot wire sensor arranged therein. The second flow passage is arranged perpendicularly to the main passage. The first flow passage has a circular radial cross section. The second flow passage is in the shape of a groove with a bottom, the groove having a square cross-section. The first flow passage is open to the corner portion at a level of the bottom of the second flow passage. The corner portion has a circular cross section equal in diameter to and concentric to the circular radial cross section of the first flow passage, the cross section of the corner portion being taken at a level of the bottom of the groove portion and perpendicular to the first flow passage.

Inventors

  • 👤 Yasuo Saito
  • 👤 Toshifumi Usui
  • 👤 Hirotoshi Kawano
  • 👤 Shinya Igarashi
  • 👤 Youichi Furuhashi

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-04 13:36
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02D; F02D41/00; F02D41/02; F02D41/18; F02D41/187; G; G01; G01F; G01F1/00; G01F1/68; G01F1/684; G01F1/6842; G01F5/00

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim 231 words
An air meter for an internal combustion engine in which an air intake passage of the internal combustion engine includes a main passage and an L-shaped auxiliary passage, the auxiliary passage including a first flow passage, a second flow passage and a corner portion arranged at a corner thereof, the first flow passage communicating with the second flow passage through the corner portion, the first flow passage being disposed substantially in parallel with the main passage and having a hot wire sensor arranged therein and the second flow passage being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the main passage, wherein: the first flow passage has a circular radial cross section; the second flow passage is in the shape of a groove with a bottom, the groove having a square cross-section; the first flow passage is open to the corner portion at a level of the bottom of the second flow passage; and the corner portion has a circular cross section substantially equal in diameter to and concentric to the circular radial cross section of the first flow passage, said cross section of the corner portion being taken at a level of the bottom of the groove portion and perpendicular to the first flow passage and the corner portion being substantially in the shape of a frustum of a cone gradually enlarging the diameter thereof away from the bottom of the second flow passage.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 231 words
An air meter for an internal combustion engine in which an air intake passage of the internal combustion engine includes a main passage and an L-shaped auxiliary passage, the auxiliary passage including a first flow passage, a second flow passage and a corner portion arranged at a corner thereof, the first flow passage communicating with the second flow passage through the corner portion, the first flow passage being disposed substantially in parallel with the main passage and having a hot wire sensor arranged therein and the second flow passage being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the main passage, wherein: the first flow passage has a circular radial cross section; the second flow passage is in the shape of a groove with a bottom, the groove having a square cross-section; the first flow passage is open to the corner portion at a level of the bottom of the second flow passage; and the corner portion has a circular cross section substantially equal in diameter to and concentric to the circular radial cross section of the first flow passage, said cross section of the corner portion being taken at a level of the bottom of the groove portion and perpendicular to the first flow passage and the corner portion being substantially in the shape of a frustum of a cone gradually enlarging the diameter thereof away from the bottom of the second flow passage.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 221 words
An air meter for an internal combustion engine in which an air intake passage of the internal combustion engine includes a main passage and an L-shaped auxiliary passage, the auxiliary passage including a first flow passage, a second flow passage and a corner portion arranged at a corner thereof, the first flow passage communicating with the second flow passage through the corner portion, the first flow passage being disposed substantially in parallel with the main passage and having a hot wire sensor arranged therein and the second flow passage being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the main passage, wherein: the first flow passage has a circular radial cross section; the second flow passage is in the shape of a groove with a bottom, the groove having a square cross-section; the first flow passage is open to the corner portion at a level of the bottom of the second flow passage; and the corner portion has a circular cross section substantially equal in diameter to and concentric to the circular radial cross section of the first flow passage, said cross section of the corner portion being taken at a level of the bottom of the groove portion and perpendicular to the first flow passage and the groove of the second flow passage having a width smaller than the diameter of the corner portion.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 221 words
An air meter for an internal combustion engine in which an air intake passage of the internal combustion engine includes a main passage and an L-shaped auxiliary passage, the auxiliary passage including a first flow passage, a second flow passage and a corner portion arranged at a corner thereof, the first flow passage communicating with the second flow passage through the corner portion, the first flow passage being disposed substantially in parallel with the main passage and having a hot wire sensor arranged therein and the second flow passage being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the main passage, wherein: the first flow passage has a circular radial cross section; the second flow passage is in the shape of a groove with a bottom, the groove having a square cross-section; the first flow passage is open to the corner portion at a level of the bottom of the second flow passage; and the corner portion has a circular cross section substantially equal in diameter to and concentric to the circular radial cross section of the first flow passage, said cross section of the corner portion being taken at a level of the bottom of the groove portion and perpendicular to the first flow passage and the groove of the second flow passage having a width smaller than the diameter of the corner portion.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 249 words
In an air meter for an internal combustion engine in which the air intake passage of the internal combustion engine includes a main passage and an L-shaped auxiliary passage, the auxiliary passage including a first flow passage, a second flow passage and a corner portion arranged at a corner thereof, the first flow passage communicating to the second flow passage through the corner portion, the first flow passage being disposed substantially in parallel with the main passage and having a hot wire sensor arranged therein and the second flow passage being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the main passage, the improvement wherein: the first flow passage has a circular radial cross section; the second flow passage has a circular radial cross section and an axis; and the corner portion has a first circular cross section substantially equal in diameter to and concentric to the circular radial cross section of the first flow passage, the first cross section of the corner portion being taken along the axis of the second flow passage to be perpendicular to the first flow passage; wherein the second flow passage has an axis, the corner portion has a second circular cross section substantially equal in diameter to and concentric to the circular radial cross section of the second flow passage, the second cross section of the corner portion being taken along the axis of the first flow passage to be perpendicular to the second flow passage and the corner portion has a spherical outer surface configuration.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 249 words
In an air meter for an internal combustion engine in which the air intake passage of the internal combustion engine includes a main passage and an L-shaped auxiliary passage, the auxiliary passage including a first flow passage, a second flow passage and a corner portion arranged at a corner thereof, the first flow passage communicating to the second flow passage through the corner portion, the first flow passage being disposed substantially in parallel with the main passage and having a hot wire sensor arranged therein and the second flow passage being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the main passage, the improvement wherein: the first flow passage has a circular radial cross section; the second flow passage has a circular radial cross section and an axis; and the corner portion has a first circular cross section substantially equal in diameter to and concentric to the circular radial cross section of the first flow passage, the first cross section of the corner portion being taken along the axis of the second flow passage to be perpendicular to the first flow passage; wherein the second flow passage has an axis, the corner portion has a second circular cross section substantially equal in diameter to and concentric to the circular radial cross section of the second flow passage, the second cross section of the corner portion being taken along the axis of the first flow passage to be perpendicular to the second flow passage and the corner portion has a spherical outer surface configuration.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 133 words
In an air meter for an internal combustion engine in which an air intake passage of the internal combustion engine includes a main passage and an L-shaped auxiliary passage, the auxiliary passage including a first flow passage, a second flow passage and a corner portion arranged at a corner thereof, the first flow passage communicating to the second flow passage through the corner portion, the first flow passage being disposed substantially in parallel with the main passage and having a hot wire sensor arranged therein and the second flow passage being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the main passage, the improvement wherein: the second flow passage is in the shape of a groove having a trapezoidal cross-section, the groove having a bottom and an opening, the opening being larger in width than the bottom.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 133 words
In an air meter for an internal combustion engine in which an air intake passage of the internal combustion engine includes a main passage and an L-shaped auxiliary passage, the auxiliary passage including a first flow passage, a second flow passage and a corner portion arranged at a corner thereof, the first flow passage communicating to the second flow passage through the corner portion, the first flow passage being disposed substantially in parallel with the main passage and having a hot wire sensor arranged therein and the second flow passage being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the main passage, the improvement wherein: the second flow passage is in the shape of a groove having a trapezoidal cross-section, the groove having a bottom and an opening, the opening being larger in width than the bottom.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 37 words
An air meter for an internal combustion engine as recited in claim 4, wherein the second flow passage has side walls facing to each other, the side walls being inclined more than 0.5° to a vertical plane.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 34 words
An air meter for an internal combustion engine as recited in claim 4, wherein the second flow passage has arcuate edges at the bottom, each arcuate edge having a radius more than 0.5 mm.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4501249A Cited
US4612895A Cited
US4624134A Cited
US4723443A Cited
EP0295647A1 Cited
EP0322459A1 Cited
US4887577A Cited
EP0313089B1 Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1995-01-27 1995-07-29 1996-01-28 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1999-01-27 1999-07-29 2000-01-28 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2003-01-27 2003-07-29 2004-01-28 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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