Distributor rotor

Details Distributor rotor Distributor rotor

2000-08-24

2001-12-25

Scott, J. R. (Department: 2832)

Electricity: circuit makers and breakers

Periodic

Distributor rotor detail

Reexamination Certificate

active

06333474

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a distributor rotor for use with an after market distributor cap that is secured to a computer controlled electronic distributor that distributes voltages to spark plugs in internal combustion engines by a distributor cap adapter. More particularly, the invention relates to an injection molded distributor rotor having a stainless steel spring contact and a metallic contact overlaid the stainless steel spring contact for relocating the critical electrical contacts to a desired location when used with the after market distributor cap.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Conventional computer controlled electronic distributors distribute high voltage to spark plugs in various conventional internal combustion engines. After market distributor caps are commercially available and used throughout the automotive after market industry. However, when the conventional computer controlled electronic distributors attempt to distribute a secondary high voltage to an appropriate cylinder at the correct time, a high ignition load circumstance develops for either a secondary wire or sparkplug.
At this point, the secondary high voltage spark can be directed to an incorrect distributor cap terminal, i.e., a wrong cylinder. Furthermore, even though a correct cylinder terminal is closer in distance, the correct cylinder terminal may have a higher load that requires more energy to fire the sparkplug than an adjacent terminal which is longer in distance but lower in load requirements. The wrong cylinder is known in the art as a low demand cylinder that is commonly positioned near fresh fuel and air in the beginning of a compression stroke.
When the high voltage spark goes to the low demand cylinder, a pre-ignition event commonly called cross fire results. Cross fire is defined as firing the wrong cylinder at the wrong time during which an attempt is made to stop a corresponding piston from compressing any further, but cannot occur successfully because of the momentum of the engine assembly. Also, a sudden rise in the pressure and temperature of the conventional internal combustion engine can be approximately 4 to 20 times higher than the engine is designed for regular combustion.
Furthermore, the weakest components of the combustion cycle will be sought out during cross fire. As the piston is usually the weakest component, typical results are a broken center portion of the piston, which results in the complete loss of any combustion processes from taking place, that is, no power is generated. Additionally, crankcase oil will be exposed to intake and exhaust systems through valves, wherein pieces of the piston can contaminate the intake and exhaust systems as well as the crankcase oil.
As a result, damage will extend throughout the conventional internal combustion engine by foreign particles being transported to other areas of the engine. For example, the piston will typically scuff the cylinder wall because of the high heat, thereby ruining the cylinder itself. Also, any one of the connecting rod, connecting rod bearing, and the crankshaft of the engine can suffer damage due to the high pressures they have to endure. Accordingly, the conventional internal combustion engine can be severely damaged.
Injection molded rotors are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,385,625 to Kent discloses a distributor having a member
10
with a recess
9
that is engaged by an upper end
8
of a cam shaft
7
. The member
10
has a transversely extending rib at the bottom of the recess
9
that is integral with the member
10
and engages an offset slot in the upper end
8
of the cam shaft
7
, whereby the shaft
7
rotates the member
10
. A resilient contact
12
made of spring steel or the like is carried by the member
10
and secured at an end adjacent the outer end of the member
10
and extends substantially radial toward the center and upwardly away therefrom, whereby the free end of the contact
12
is spaced from the member
10
and resists movement toward the member.
The contact
12
may be secured to the member
10
in any suitable way. In the example illustrated in
FIG. 2
, the contact
12
is held by a screw
13
threaded into the metallic bushing or insert
14
molded into the member
10
. The same screw may secure a metallic brush
15
to the member
10
, whereby the contact
12
and member
15
are in electrical connection with each other. An upstanding lug
20
is integrally molded with the member
10
and has an undercut
21
.
The lug
20
and undercut
21
are so positioned that the free end of the spring contact
12
extends into the undercut
21
and a lip
22
limiting the distance away from the member
10
to which the contact
12
may spring. By the above-described structure, the distance to which the free end of the contact
12
may spring away from the member
10
is limited, yet that contact may yield toward the distributor member
10
while coacting with the terminal
17
carried by the cap
3
. The contact
12
cannot spring away from the member
10
to such a distance as might or would interfere with the attachment of the cap
3
to the base
1
.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,466 to Lace discloses a synchronous rotor indexing mechanism having an insulating rotor
10
. The rotor
10
has a movable contact
11
mounted thereon which can be advanced or retarded, relative a terminal
12
. The terminal
12
is a contact inside the housing (not shown) of the distributor (also not shown) which connects to a particular spark plug.
A centrifugal force acting on a weight
13
, movably mounted on a shaft
19
, causes the weight to moved towards the perimeter of the rotor
10
. Two corners
14
of the weight
13
press against the side surface
15
of the contact
11
. The contact
11
is pivoted at a pivot point
16
, thus, as the weight
13
moves outwardly along the shaft
19
, the outward end of the contact
11
is caused to advance relative to the rotor
10
and rotor shaft.
A spring
17
imposes the outward motion of the weight
13
and provides a restoring force for the weight
13
and the contact
11
. The shoulders
18
of the rotor are designed to limit the travel of the contact
11
, while portions
20
of the rotor serve as stops for the weight
13
and as a base for the shaft
19
and spring
17
. The high voltage connection is made by means of a sliding contact engaged with inner most end
21
of the contact
11
.
FIG. 5
illustrates an alternative embodiment of the rotor
10
in which the contact member
32
combines the functions of electrical contact, weight, and restoring spring. The contact arm is fixedly mounted at its inner most end
21
to the rotor and has a rod portion connecting the more massive portion at the outmost end. The center of gravity is angularly displaced from the rod portion. As the engine velocity increases, centrifugal force will tend to advance the outmost end of the contact
32
at the bending movement.
FIG. 9
shows another embodiment of the rotor
10
wherein the contact member
44
is eccentrically mounted at and pivoted about a point
45
. A vertical portion
46
of the resilient high voltage
12
also provides a restoring force.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,197 to Beshore, an automotive ignition distributor conversion means having an ignition timing motor
22
with an upper transverse arm
24
that terminates at a high tension wiper contact
26
is disclosed. The inner end of the contact
26
at the high tension rotor arm
24
engages a contact button (not shown) on the inner side of the distributor cap
28
which is electrically connected to a high tension socket
34
. As the rotor
22
turns, the outer end of the rotor contact
26
wipes across contact buttons (not shown) on the inside of the distributor cap
28
electrically connected to the spark plug cable sockets
32
to apply the high tension voltage to the spark plug in the proper firing order. The high tension motor
22
is mounted on the upper end of the motor shaft
18
of the distributor body
16
.
U.

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