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US 4,058,105 AGranted
Snowmobile safety switch system
AssigneeScorpion, Inc.
InventorsCarl W. Schellin, John P. Lundberg
Life of this patent
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AssigneeScorpion, Inc.
InventorsCarl W. Schellin, John P. Lundberg
Estimating the term…
A safety switch system for use on snowmobiles that eliminates the hazards of previous systems by providing series connected normally closed switches, one connected directly into the throttle control lever which the operator must press for increasing engine speed from idle, and the other mounted directly on the carburetor and controlled by the throttle control arm which is directly connected to the butterfly valve of the carburetor. The two switches are connected to an engine kill system, such as a ground circuit for the ignition. One of the switches must be open for the engine to be running. This means that when the throttle is open (the carburetor control arm is away from idle position) and the operator's hand is off the throttle control lever the engine is dead. However, with the throttle arm in idle position the engine will run whether the operator has his hand on the manual throttle control lever or not. If the operator has his hand pressing with force on the manual throttle control lever the engine will run whether the carburetor throttle arm is open or closed. The positioning of the control switches eliminates the hazards that can result from mechanical failure of components because of the direct placement of the switches at the critical control locations.
In an internal combustion engine having a carburetor, a throttle control arm on the carburetor movable from an idle position to working position, and spring loaded toward said idle position, a remote hand throttle actuator engagable by an operator on a surface and movable in response to force on the surface, linkage means between the throttle control arm and the hand throttle actuator to move the throttle control arm away from idle position when the hand throttle actuator is subjected to force from an operator, the improvement comprising an ignition disabling circuit for the internal combustion engine including a pair of switches, each having an open position and a closed position and each normally being spring loaded to the same position as the other, means to position a first of said switches adjacent the throttle control arm so as to be moved from its normal position when the control arm is in idle position, means positioning a second of said switches on said hand throttle actuator whereby said force on said surface sufficient to normally move the hand throttle actuator and connected throttle control arm from idle position moves said second switch from its normal position, and means to connect said first and second switches in series in the ignition disabling circuit whereby when both of said switches are in normal position the ignition system is disabled.
A safety system for an operator controlled vehicle having an engine with fuel supply control means on the engine, including a movable control on the engine movable from an idle position in a direction to increase engine speed, an operator throttle control member remote from the engine, said operator throttle control member moving the movable control when subjected to force in an actuator area by an operator when the engine speed is to be increased, an engine disabling circuit including two series connected on-off switches each normally urged to the same position as the other, means to position one switch to be engaged by the movable control and moved away from normal position when the control is in idle position, and a second of said switches being mounted on said operator throttle control member and being actuated away from normal position whenever force sufficient to move the movable control is applied to the actuator area of the operator throttle control.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.