Patents Represented by Attorney Robert E. McCollum
  • Patent number: 4585924
    Abstract: A self-contained fuel oil heater unit for use with a diesel engine includes a fuel oil manifold having a spin-on cartridge type oil filter with a central fuel oil outlet and peripheral fuel oil inlets. The upper portion of the manifold contains an upwardly open bowl-shaped recess closed by a removable cover and defining a reservoir containing an electric immersion PTC heating element for warming the fuel oil. The unheated fuel oil flows through a horizontally disposed inlet on the lower portion of the manifold into the reservoir where it is heated and is discharged through a passage communicating with the peripheral fuel oil inlets of the filter. A further manifold passage communicates the central fuel oil outlet of the filter to a horizontally disposed outlet on the lower portion of the manifold. Alternatively the heater unit can be formed as a spacer insertable between the manifold and spin-on filter and containing a star-shaped PTC heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1986
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Benjamin J. Pakula
  • Patent number: 4583510
    Abstract: An electromagnetically controlled fuel injection pump of the spill port, continuously rotating, multiplunger type in which fuel flow to and from a pair of plunger barrels is controlled by a single solenoid valve controlling a spill port, each of the plungers in turn controlling the injection of fuel to two or three engine cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1986
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Michael M. Schechter
  • Patent number: 4583509
    Abstract: A fuel injection pump includes a number of plungers of the fill/spill port control type, the plungers being hydraulically connected in pairs and through a single shuttle valve to a single fuel spill port controlled by a single solenoid controlled spill valve, the plungers being operable in sequence and in succession to condition one plunger at a time for fuel pressurization while the remaining plungers are in various other phases of operation refilling their fuel chambers with fuel or preparing the air fuel chamber for pressurization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1986
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Michael M. Schechter, Aladar O. Simko
  • Patent number: 4583508
    Abstract: A positive displacement fuel injection pump having a single plunger moving fuel into and out of a fuel chamber by way of plunger internal passages being connected one at a time with a fuel supply passage and disconnected from a fuel injection line, and vice-versa upon rotation of the plunger, a solenoid valve controlling pressurization of the fuel chamber and effecting the injection of fuel through individual nozzles connected to the engine air stream adjacent an individual cylinder, the plunger internal passages including an outlet check valve controlling the fuel flow to the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1986
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Michael M. Schechter
  • Patent number: 4577598
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine has n member of cylinders, a piston in each cylinder connected to a crankshaft (2), each piston being in phase or out of phase with the others by A.degree. or a multiple thereof (A=720/n), cams for actuating inlet and exhaust valves to each cylinder, and a cam drive mechanism (5) which rotates the cams in phased relationship with the crankshaft (2) to open the valves in sequence for a desired angle of rotation of the crankshaft. The cam drive mechanism also includes means for combining the rotational movement of the cams with a phased oscillatory movement of the camshaft (3) and cams of variable amplitude about the axis of rotation at a frequency f times the crankshaft frequency so that over the period which the valves are opened and/or their timings variable, f has the following values:f=2n when the number of cylinders n=1;f=n or n/2 when n=2;and f=n/2 when n=3 or more. The selection of the frequency of the oscillations allows all the cams to be mounted on the same camshaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1986
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Thomas T. Ma
  • Patent number: 4574760
    Abstract: A fuel injection system of the single point, throttle body type in which a fuel injector is located centrally above the inlet to an air throttling body that contains a variable venturi consisting of a plug and nozzle assembly wherein the plug includes a fuel dispersion plate directing the fuel towards a movable nozzle together defining a convergent-divergent flow air that is variable in area in response to the dynamic pressure of the air against it at higher air flows or alternately responsive to the suction of the engine at low air flows to be moved to a position providing essentially a constant air velocity flowing past the fuel under all conditions of operation to shear the fuel and thereby atomize the same for an economical and efficient operation of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 11, 1986
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Colin Jones, William J. Clemens
  • Patent number: 4570598
    Abstract: A fuel injection fuel supply system for an automotive type internal combustion engine in which a single fuel injector injects all of the fuel in equal amounts to each of the engine cylinders through an atmospheric air chamber from which fuel is discharged and combined with the air for atomization of the fuel and passage of an emulsion of air and fuel into each individual engine intake port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1986
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Rogelio G. Samson, Paul L. Koller, Laszlo Hideg, deceased
  • Patent number: 4567871
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fuel metering and distribution system for an internal combustion engine comprising an open fuel reservoir 18 into which fuel is metered and a set of capillary tubes 20 each extending from the fuel reservoir 18 to a point in an induction manifold adjacent the intake valve of a respective one of the engine cylinders. The fuel may either be metered by a carburettor-like arrangement drawing fuel from a float chamber or by means of a single solenoid valve connected between the reservoir and a source of fuel under pressure. The ends of the fine tubes terminate in the fuel reservoir immediately above the fuel level, whereby as the fuel rises, the additional fuel metered into the reservoir is sucked into the fine tubes and transferred directly to the engine cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1986
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Thomas T. H. Ma
  • Patent number: 4561391
    Abstract: A compact four valve per cylinder overhead camshaft valve train arrangement for use with small cylinder bore engines is made possible by the mounting of a single overhead camshaft at a position high over the cylinder head and laterally offset from the cylinder bore centerline and adjacent a rocker arm shaft that is mounted on the cylinder bore centerline diagonally beneath the camshaft and in turn mounts a single forked lever type rocker arm for the simultaneous actuation of two exhaust valves, and a pair of individual axially spaced rocker arms directed to the opposite side of the rocker arm shaft for actuating a pair of intake valves, roller type cam followers being used to reduce friction, the arrangement providing access to the center of the cylinder bore for the mounting of a spark plug below and beneath the rocker arm shaft and between the intake valve rocker arms and the intake valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Aladar O. Simko
  • Patent number: 4551284
    Abstract: A carburetor has a throttle member in the form of a slide for controlling the air induction passage, the slide being displaceably guided in a sealed and sliding manner on planer edge areas of guide surfaces of a surface extending substantially at right angles to the induction passage, the slide being relieved from vertical downward pressures exerted on the guide surfaces by the manifold vacuum acting on the underside of the slide by an unloading mechanism controlled by the vacuum force, the unloading mechanism comprising lifting rails which are pivotally mounted for engagement with the slide and include rollers that may be raised or lowered by devices that are responsive to the change in vacuum below the slide as the slide moves closed or open to counteract the differential pressure force acting on the slide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1984
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Dieter Stojek
  • Patent number: 4546741
    Abstract: An air atomizing throttle body is formed with a single point fuel injector located above the inlet to the throttle body induction passage, the throttle body having an inverted cup-shaped sleeve valve, the lower edges of which cooperate with a stationary conical valve seat projecting radially into the induction passage to define a variable area flow path, and including idle speed air vents to equalize pressures on opposite sides of the sleeve valve to minimize the force needed to move the valve by a pressure operated bellows incorporated into the valve, the valve members forming a labryinthian type air/fuel flow path for the shearing of the fuel globules to atomize the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Duane M. Grider, Theodore W. Daykin
  • Patent number: 4543918
    Abstract: The invention relates to an induction manifold for a fuel injected internal combustion engine which comprises a rigid plenum chamber, intake pipes extending from the plenum chamber to the individual engine cylinders, and extensions of the individual intake pipes disposed within the plenum chamber. This construction enables the manifold to be tuned without occupying excessive space in the engine compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Thomas T. Ma
  • Patent number: 4543924
    Abstract: Crankshaft noise from an internal combustion engine is reduced by the known step of using a crankshaft damper pulley 10 on the front end of the crankshaft. This damper pulley has a damper ring 16 interposed between the hub and the rim of the pulley. Noise is further reduced by fitting a plug 20 to the front of the engine to cover the area within the ring 16 of the damper pulley. The plug 20 is preferably of neoprene rubber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Philip G. Bostock, Graham J. Holland
  • Patent number: 4541372
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine comprising four valves for each cylinder consisting of a first pair of continuously operable intake and exhaust valves and a second pair of additional, optionally disconnectible intake and exhaust valves, the valve lift curve of the first pair being intended for torque in the partial load range and the second pair for power in the full load range, the engine including two overhead camshafts for actuating the four valves per cylinder, with the valves arranged so that in each case the disconnectible valves of two adjacent cylinders are adjacent to one another and may be actuated by cams on a sleeveshaft which is freely rotatable on the camshaft but may be coupled rotationally rigidly at the correct angle to the camshaft by way of an axially slidable shift collar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Edwin Weiss
  • Patent number: 4541394
    Abstract: A fuel injection pump of the radial plunger, spill port type includes electromagnetic means for opening and closing the spill port to control the pressurization of fuel for injection of fuel to the individual engine cylinders; a single solenoid assembly controlling the flow of fuel to and from a pair of pumping plungers in response to the movement of a shuttle valve mechanism; in one embodiment, a single retraction type delivery valve is used in connection with each pumping plunger and, in a separate embodiment, a single retraction type delivery valve is integrated with the shuttle valve mechanism which controls the individual delivery of fuel to a pair of engine cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Michael M. Schechter, Aladar O. Simko
  • Patent number: 4541786
    Abstract: An essentially all ceramic turbocharger for boosting the pressure of air inducted by an internal combustion engine has a housing made in two segments from ceramic material that define exhaust gas inlet and outlet passages and air inlet and outlet passages. A rotary unit formed of ceramic material is formed integrally with a turbine rotor and compressor rotor at opposite ends of the driveshaft. The driveshaft is supported within the housing on ceramic ball bearings whose races are surfaces formed on the driveshaft and housing segments within which ceramic radial and thrust bearings are fitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Arthur F. McLean
  • Patent number: 4538570
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fluid valve, in particular for use as a throttle valve in an internal combustion engine. The valve has a flow path (25) for the air (26) defined by a tube having a flexible wall (14) which separates the tube from an adjacent chamber (36), so that a change in the pressure within the chamber (36) deforms the flexible wall (14) and thus causes a change in the internal cross-section of the passage (25). When the valve is in its closed position, air can still flow through an air bypass passage (46).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Martin R. Lunt
  • Patent number: 4526152
    Abstract: A very low pressure fuel injection system uses an engine driven mechanical fuel pump to supply fuel at low pressure to a fuel devaporizing chamber normally filled with liquid fuel and in which is immersed the body portion of an electronically opened fuel injector positioned to spray fuel axially into the upper end of the induction passage of an air throttling body, the chamber containing a fuel pressure accumulator and a fuel pressure regulator maintaining the fuel pressure at a level slightly below the pump delivery pressure and at the injection level, the fuel chamber being rapidly purged of vapors during engine cranking and running operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1984
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Laszlo Hideg, Paul L. Koller, Rogelio G. Samson
  • Patent number: 4526060
    Abstract: An automotive type carburetor throttle valve actuator is automatically moved within two ranges to provide an idle speed control and a vehicle speed control; the moving mechanism including a compound planetary gear set operatively conditioned for a reduction drive to establish a slowly changing idle speed drive range, and conditioned for a direct drive to establish a faster changing vehicle speed level control range; a microprocessor sensing engine operating conditions for determining the operation of a reversible electric motor and a gear reaction member and clutching mechanism to determine the operating range as well as the speed level change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Shunso F. Watanabe
  • Patent number: 4513709
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine has a cylinder head with a cardiodal recess with inlet and outlet apertures in which inlet and outlet valves are positioned. A cusp extending between the apertures imparts a swirling motion to gases entering the recess through the inlet aperture, but extends only about one third of the travel of the inlet valve so that it does not impede the flow of gases when the inlet valve is fully open.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1985
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Richard J. L. Stace