Engine protective device responsive to low oil pressure
AssigneeSentinel Manufacturing Company, Incorporated
InventorJ. T. Mills
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An engine protective device that is responsive to low oil pressure to cut off or limit fuel flow to avoid or minimize the chance of engine damage. A spring-biased elongate main valve member includes an axial bore and an override spring-biased ball valve to selectively allow fuel flow through said axial bore. A remote override function is realized by use of a bypass valve controlled by a pneumatic or electrical switch. An override lock prevents a mechanical, local (i.e., not remote) override from being changed from an override position back to a normal or off position in the event of insufficient oil pressure.
Claims30
An apparatus for controlling the flow of fuel in a fuel supply line of an internal combustion engine in response to pressure in the engine's lubricating system, comprising:
- (a) a body having a main fuel passageway therein;
- (b) a fuel inlet port and a fuel outlet port, each port communicating with said passageway and adapted to be connected to the fuel supply line of an internal combustion engine;
- (c) a lubricant pressure sensor for sensing the pressure in the engine's lubricating system;
- (d) a main valve in said main fuel passageway for controlling the normal flow of fuel between said fuel inlet port and said fuel outlet port, said main valve closing when the lubricant pressure sensor indicates that the pressure in the engine's lubricating system is below a predetermined value P1;
- (e) a main valve operator for maintaining said main valve in an open position as long as the lubricant pressure sensor indicates that the pressure in the engine's lubricating system is above the predetermined value P1;
- (f) a bypass fuel passageway in said body, bypassing that portion of said main fuel passageway controlled by said main valve, to allow a predetermined restricted amount of fuel from said fuel inlet port to said fuel outlet port;
- (g) a normally closed bypass valve selectively blocking said bypass fuel passageway, and;
- (h) a manually-operable bypass valve actuator remote from said main body and connected to said bypass valve by a control line and wherein said portion of said main fuel passageway controlled by said main valve is separated from said bypass fuel passageway by a portion of said main body and said bypass valve will close unless said manually-operable bypass valve actuator is continually actuated to hold said bypass valve open.
Apparatus for controlling the flow of fuel in a fuel supply line of an engine in response to pressure in the engine's lubricating system, comprising:
- (a) a fuel inlet port,
- (b) a fuel outlet port,
- (c) a main valve for selectively blocking the flow of fuel supply line of an engine when said fuel inlet port and said fuel outlet port are connected in said fuel supply line,
- (d) a lubricant pressure sensor for sensing the pressure in the engine's lubricating system,
- (e) a main valve operator for opening said valve whenever the lubricant pressure sensor indicates that the pressure in the engine's lubricating system is above a predetermined value P1;
- (f) an override actuator selectively disposable in an off state and an override state, said override state allowing fuel flow in the fuel supply line of the engine even if the pressure in the engine's lubricating system is below said predetermined value P1, and;
- (g) an override lock preventing the changing of said first override actuator from the override state to the off state if the pressure in the engine's lubricating system is below a predetermined value P2.
An apparatus for controlling the flow of fuel in a fuel supply line of an internal combustion engine in response to pressure in the engine's lubricating system, comprising:
- (a) a body having a main fuel passageway therein;
- (b) a fuel inlet port and a fuel outlet port, each port communicating with said passageway and adapted to be connected to the fuel supply line of an internal combustion engine,
- (c) a lubricant pressure sensor for sensing the pressure in the engine's lubricating system,
- (d) a main valve in said main fuel passageway for controlling the normal flow of fuel between said fuel inlet port and said fuel outlet port, said main valve closing when the lubricant pressure sensor indicates that the pressure in the engine's lubricating system is below a predetermined value P1, said main valve includes an elongate main valve member which is spring-biased by a main valve spring to be normally closed, said elongated main valve member includes an axial bore therein, said axial bore having an inlet in communication with said fuel inlet port and an outlet in communication with said fuel outlet port whereby fuel may flow through said axial bore from said fuel inlet port to said fuel outlet port;
- (e) a main valve operator for maintaining said main valve in an open position as long as the lubricant pressure sensor indicates that the pressure in the engine's lubricating system is above a predetermined value P1, and wherein said elongate main valve member includes an annular fluid blocking portion which is disposed in between said fuel inlet port and said fuel outlet port when said main valve is closed, and further comprising an override valve inside of said elongate member, an override spring biasing said override valve, said override valve selectively blocking said axial bore to selectively allow fuel flow through said axial bore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.