Internal-combustion engines – Intake manifold – Manifold tuning – balancing or pressure regulating means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-10
2001-04-17
Wolfe, Willis R. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Intake manifold
Manifold tuning, balancing or pressure regulating means
C123S184550
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216657
ABSTRACT:
STATE OF THE ART
The invention relates to a process for regulating air consumption of an internal combustion engine according to the principal claim, and an intake pipe for the practice of the process according to a subordinate claim.
In an intake pipe disclosed in EP 0 355 960 A2, a control of the amount of air or the air consumption in the intake tract of an internal combustion engine by an alternating switching of different ram tubes is described. A rotary damper is present as a kind of gate with an internally situated passage in which the passage in one position of the gate connects the one ram tube and in the other position connects the other ram tube to the particular cylinder of the internal combustion engine.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The invention is thus addressed to the problem of improving a method and an apparatus of the kind described above so as to achieve an easily made, reliably operating and inexpensive intake tube in which the air consumption can easily be optimized.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
The problem is solved by the invention by the fact that, in at least one intake tract of an internal combustion engine, an easily made intake tube is created, that the intake tract leads into at least two ram tubes of different length, while according to the invention, to control the air flow or air consumption in the entire intake path, at least one of the ram tubes can be steplessly varied between fully open and closed, and the other ram tube can be connected.
In an especially advantageous embodiment, the control means is disposed in the area of the shorter ram tube. By this arrangement the shorter of the ram tubes can be short-circuited in case of the need for varying air consumption requirements.
In an especially advantageous intake tube for the practice of the above-stated process, the at least one ram tube has a rotary damper by means of which the ram tube is continuously controlled, resulting in the stated advantages regarding air consumption in internal combustion engines.
An advantageous embodiment of the intake tube according to the invention provides for the rotary damper to be disposed in the mouth area of the ram tubes, the result being that no dead zones form in the intake tract of the intake tube. This arrangement facilitates both the assembly and the maintenance of the rotary damper units, since they can be made as a part for multi-cylinder internal combustion engines, for example, so that one needs only to insert them into or remove them from the passage openings provided therefor.
An advantageous embodiment results if the rotary damper and/or the intake tube consists of plastic. By executing them in plastic, clear weight and cost advantages can be achieved.
Also, provision can be made according to the invention for the intake tract to communicate by means of the ram tubes with an air intake distributor. The common use of functional units leads to a further saving of weight and cost.
In another advantageous embodiment, the rotary damper is controlled by vacuum. Vacuum is available at no cost in an internal combustion engine, e.g., in its intake tract, especially the vacuum that depends on the various load states of the internal combustion engine.
An advantageous embodiment of the invention provides for the control of the rotary damper to be performed electromagnetically and/or hydraulically.
In another advantageous embodiment, the rotary damper is controlled by a connected push and pull rod which is attached to the front of the rotary damper such that an adjusting thrust can be transferred by it to the rotary damper. In this manner the rotary damper can supply to all cylinders air matched to the particular operating situation of the internal combustion engine.
Also, provision can be made according to the invention for the rotary damper to be controlled by a connected stepper motor. The use of an electric, for example, stepper motor permits the low-tolerance adjustment of the throttle valve.
An advantageous embodiment of the invention provides for the plastic of the rotary damper to be doped with lubricants, which clearly improves the pivoting or sliding performance of the rotary damper in the intake tube.
The rotary damper can, in a known manner, be constructed as a cylindrical gate which can open or close passages by rotation. The cylindrical gate is in this case supported on a bearing in a housing and can be held, and also sealed if necessary, in a particular position by an element acting as a spring.
Additional advantageous embodiments are to be found in the remaining subordinate claims. These and other features of preferred embodiments of the invention appear not only in the claims but also in the description and the drawings, and the individual features can be realized each by itself or together in the form of subcombinations in the embodiment of the invention and in other fields, and can constitute advantageous as well as independently patentable embodiments, for which protection is hereby claimed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4932369 (1990-06-01), Parr
patent: 5033417 (1991-07-01), Basshuysen et al.
patent: 5156117 (1992-10-01), Muller et al.
patent: 5603296 (1997-02-01), Park
patent: 5709182 (1998-01-01), Espe et al.
Paffrath Holger
Pauer Thomas
Evenson, McKeown, Edwards & Lenahan P.L.L.C.
Filterwerk Mann & Hummel GmbH
Huynh Hai
Wolfe Willis R.
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