Carburetor, control apparatus and method for internal combustion engines

Apparatus for an internal combustion engine for regulating the pressure of fuel from the output of a fuel pump, comprising:

• (a) an elongate, upright housing;
• (b) a vertically elongate chamber within the housing having bottom, medial, and upper sections;
• (c) a fuel input conduit connectable to the output of a fuel pump and communicating with the upper section of the chamber, said conduit having a restriction therein which accelerates the fuel and causes any vapor in the fuel to form in the upper and medial sections of the chamber;
• (d) a fuel output conduit communicating with the lower section of the chamber so that liquid fuel is passed therethrough;
• (e) a return conduit for vapor and fuel communicating with the medial section of the chamber;
• (f) a spool valve centrally received in the housing and vertically movable with respect thereto, said valve controlling the flow of fuel and vapor from the chamber into the return conduit;
• and
• (g) a spring loaded diaphragm actuating said spool valve and sensitive to the pressure of fuel in the chamber such that when the pressure of fuel exceeds a predetermined value, said fuel and vapor are directed into the return conduit by the spool valve, thereby regulating the pressure of fuel in the fuel output conduit.

Carburetion apparatus for an internal combustion engine, comprising:

• (a) a carburetor having therein a fuel mixing chamber, fuel and air inlet conduits communicating with the fuel mixing chamber, means for metering the fuel and air entering the fuel mixing chamber, an expansion chamber communicating with the mixing chamber through a controlled orifice, a throat communicating with the expansion chamber and with the internal combustion engine, an air delivery passage communicating with the throat, an air valve for metering air entering the throat from the air delivery passage, and means for moving the air valve with respect to the air delivery passage in correspondence with the fuel metering means;
• (b) a fuel pressure regulator connected to the fuel inlet conduit of the carburetor and having therein a vertically elongate chamber having bottom, medial and upper sections, a fuel input conduit connectable to the output of a fuel pump and communicating with the upper section of the chamber, said conduit having a restriction therein which accelerates said fuel and causes any vapor in the fuel to form in the upper and medial sections of the chamber, a return conduit communicating with the medial section of the chamber, a spool valve centrally received in the regulator and vertically movable with respect thereto for controlling the flow of fuel and vapor from the chamber to the return conduit, a spring loaded diaphragm actuating said spool valve and sensitive to the pressure of fuel in the chamber such that when the pressure exceeds a predetermined value, said fuel and vapor are directed into the return conduit by the spool valve, and a vacuum controlled piston that biases the diaphragm to increase the pressure of fuel in the fuel output conduit;
• (c) a source of vacuum;
• (d) means, connectable to an internal combustion engine, for sensing the operating temperature thereof;
• and
• (e) means, connected to the temperature sensing means and to the fuel pressure regulator, for actuating said vacuum controlled piston and biasing the diaphragm to increase the pressure of fuel in the fuel output conduit of the fuel pressure regulator when the operating temperature of the internal combustion engine is less than a predetermined value.

Carburetion apparatus for an internal combustion engine, comprising:

• (a) a carburetor having therein a fuel mixing chamber, fuel and air inlet conduits communicating with the fuel mixing chamber, means for metering the fuel and air entering the fuel mixing chamber, an expansion chamber communicating with the mixing chamber through a controlled orifice, a throat communicating with the expansion chamber and with the internal combustion engine, an air delivery passage communicating with the throat, an air valve for metering air entering the throat from the air delivery passage, and means for moving the air valve with respect to the air delivery passage in correspondence with the fuel metering means;
• (b) an electrically actuated valve in the fuel inlet conduit to the carburetor for interrupting and restoring a flow of fuel thereto;
• (c) valve control means, connected to said valve, for electrically actuating said valve;
• and
• (d) an ignition switch means for said internal combustion engine having an on position and an off position and connected to the valve control means, said ignition switch means causing said valve control means to interrupt said flow of fuel to the carburetor through said valve when the ignition switch means is in the off position, and said valve control means causing said valve to interrupt said flow of fuel to said carburetor when the ignition switch means is in its on position and the engine is not running.

Carburetion apparatus for an internal combustion engine having an intake manifold, comprising:

• (a) a carburetor having therein a fuel mixing chamber, fuel and air inlet conduits communicating with the fuel mixing chamber, means for metering the fuel and air entering the fuel mixing chamber, an expansion chamber communicating with the mixing chamber through a controlled orifice, a throat communicating with the expansion chamber and with the internal combustion engine, an air delivery passage communicating with the throat, an air valve for meteing air entering the throat from the air delivery passage, and means for moving the air valve with respect to the air delivery passage in correspondence with the fuel metering means;
• (b) an electrically actuated valve in the fuel inlet conduit to the carburetor for interrupting and restoring a flow of fuel thereto;
• (c) valve control means, connected to said valve, for electrically actuating said valve;
• (d) means, connected to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine and the valve control means, for sensing the vacuum in the intake manifold and for actuating the valve control means to interrupt the flow of fuel to the carburetor when the vacuum in the intake manifold exceeds a first predetermined value and including means for actuating the valve control means to restore a flow of fuel to the carburetor after first being interrupted and after the vacuum diminishes below a second predetermined value;
• and
• (e) means, connected to the valve control means, for sensing the rate of change of the speed of the internal combustion engine and for varying the first predetermined value if the rate of change exceeds a third predetermined value.

Method for providing a mixture of fuel and air to an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:

• (a) metering fuel and air into a mixing chamber of a carburetor;
• (b) maintaining a vacuum in said mixing chamber by passing said fuel and air through a control orifice in a stream flowing along a first axis;
• (c) expanding said stream in an expansion chamber and thereby substantially decreasing the velocity of the stream along said axis;
• (d) thereafter further expanding and directing said stream radially outward from said axis in a plane orthogonal to said axis;
• (e) thereafter introducing primary air into the stream and thereby mixing said fuel and air together in a mixture;
• and
• (f) thereafter directing said fuel and air mixture back into a stream flowing along said first axis into an internal combustion engine.

Method of providing and regulating a mixture of fuel and air to a manifold of an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a flow of fuel at a regulated pressure to a carburetor through an input fuel line;
• (b) metering air and said fuel into a mixing chamber in the carburetor;
• (c) maintaining a vacuum in said mixing chamber by passing said fuel and air through a control orifice in a stream flowing along a first axis;
• (d) expanding said stream in an expansion chamber and thereby substantially decreasing the velocity of the stream along said axis;
• (e) thereafter further expanding and directing said stream radially outward from said axis;
• (f) thereafter introducing primary air into the stream along a 360.degree. circular front and thereby mixing said fuel and air together in a mixture;
• (g) thereafter directing said fuel and air mixture back into a stream flowing along said first axis into a manifold of an internal combustion engine;
• and
• (h) interrupting the flow of fuel to the carburetor when said internal combustion engine decelerates in engine speed at more than a predetermined rate.

A carburetor for communicating an air-fuel mixture to an intake passage of an internal combustion engine comprising

• premixing chamber means for forming a first air-fuel mixture therein,
• fuel supply means for metering liquid fuel to said premixing chamber means,
• air supply means for metering air to said premixing chamber means,
• primary air intake means for communicating ambient air internally of said carburetor,
• throat means for receiving and mixing said first air-fuel mixture with ambient air from said primary air intake means to form a second air-fuel mixture for communication to the intake passage of said engine,
• expansion chamber means for receiving and expanding said first air-fuel mixture therein and for communicating and further expanding it into said throat means, and
• orifice means for metering said first air-fuel mixture from said premixing chamber means into said expansion chamber means.