Abstract: The interior sidewall surface of a fuel injector socket is provided with a pair of bumpers, one to either side of an opening in the sidewall surface that communicates the socket to a fuel passage. The bumpers prevent an O-ring seal that is disposed around the outside of the fuel injector from contacting the edge of that opening during insertion and removal of the fuel injector into and from the socket. The bumpers have radiused surfaces that are presented to the fuel injector so that their contact with the O-ring does not damage the O-ring.

Abstract: Two speakers are mounted on an engine air induction system to broadcast respective pressure waves into the induction system. One speaker is near the junction of a runner and a plenum. The other is near the outside air intake. Both speakers are driven by electronic circuitry. The one speaker is driven to introduce a pressure wave that reinforces the portion of a pressure wave from an engine cylinder that is reflected back toward the cylinder by the impedance change that exists at the runner/plenum junction, thereby augmenting the charge introduced into the cylinder. The other speaker is driven to cancel the combined pressure waves that travel toward the air intake and is itself sufficiently close to the air intake that the pressure wave that it emits through the air intake has substantially less energy content than would be the case if such cancellation were not conducted.

Abstract: The device has a generally cylindrical chamber with a fluid inlet in an end wall and a fluid outlet in the sidewall. Fluid introduced into the device via the inlet passes through a venturi before being discharged into the interior of the chamber. A curved baffle confronts the venturi's outlet and directs fluid along an arc toward the device's outlet.

Abstract: A Helmholtz resonator is disposed interiorly of a gas-carrying conduit to attenuate noise passing through the conduit. The Helmholtz resonator encloses a volume that is communicated to the gas flow by a through hole in the wall of the enclosure. The conduit comprises two parts that telescopically snap together to capture the Helmholtz resonator.

Abstract: A throttle body has telescopically engaged parts that allows it to be telescopically contracted for insertion into the induction system at assembly and then telescopically expanded to secure its installation.

Abstract: The tank/canister volume's integrity against unacceptable leakage is either confirmed or denied by a diagnostic test performed by an on-board diagnostic system which includes an electrically operated air pump and a pressure switch. At the beginning of a test, the engine management computer closes the canister purge solenoid valve and operates the pump to begin pressurization of the tank/canister volume. Failure to build to a predetermined pressure indicates a gross leak. Upon attainment of the predetermined pressure, the pump is shut off by the operation of the pressure switch from one state to another. The pressure switch has hysteresis so that if the pressure falls below the predetermined pressure by a certain amount during the predetermined duration of the test, the pressure switch returns to its one state thereby giving a signal denying the integrity. Integrity is confirmed by the pressure switch remaining in its another state during the test.

Abstract: A testing fixture for use on a thruster machine for the purposes of testing ball and tube supplemental inflatable sensors for use in air bag applications for motor vehicles. The fixture is fabricated from light weight materials and has clamp 30 fabricated from resilient materials so as to locate and holding the sensors in place. Pneumatic tightening provides a torquing limit on the clamp to ensure that the desired clamping force is maintained regardless of the wear of the clamp 30.

Abstract: Tabs and slots are provided on a fuel injector and a fuel rail respectively to provide for the injector to be installed in a transverse through-hole in the fuel rail by circumferentially registering the tabs with the slots, inserting the injector into the through-hole to a predetermined depth, and then twisting the injector about its own axis to remove the tabs from their insertion registry with the slots and cause the injector to become axially captured in the through-hole by the tabs being axially captured within circumferential extensions of the slots that are cooperatively axially defined by a shoulder in the through-hole and an overhang.

Abstract: A pulse width modulated solenoid-actuated valve and a vacuum-actuated valve for cooperatively associated such that the purge system possesses both accurate control at low purge flows and the capacity for handling much higher flows. The two valves are in parallel paths between the canister and the manifold. Below a certain duty cycle of the solenoid-actuated valve, only its path is open. At higher duty cycles, both flow paths are open. An orifice is provided in the flow path containing the solenoid-actuated valve so that as this valve increasingly opens, a vacuum signal at a tap between the orifice and the solenoid-actuated valve also increases. This vacuum signal is applied to a control port of the vacuum-actuated valve to cause the latter to open upon attainment of a certain flow through the solenoid-actuated valve.

Abstract: A method of making an electric motor which eliminates the need for a separate endplay adjustment wherein permanent magnets act on the armature laminations to urge the motor shaft in one direction so that the entire endplay appears at only one end of the shaft.

Abstract: EGR is controlled by a valve whose actuator is a moving electromagnetic coil through which control current representing the desired degree of valve opening is conducted. The coil is disposed in an air gap of a magnetic circuit such that the magnetic flux passes radially through the coil. A coil spring biases the valve closed when there is no current flow through the coil. When control current is conducted through the coil, there is an interaction with the magnetic flux causing the exertion of an electromagnetic force on the coil against the spring force. Relative pressure acting on opposite sides of the valve will assist the coil motion. As a result the coil moves in a direction to increasingly compress the spring until the spring force balances the electromagnetic force. Consequently the valve is opened in an amount proportional to the control current. The motion of the coil is also electromagnetically damped, and a position sensor provides a feedback signal of the valve position.

Abstract: Improved idle purging is obtained in a regulated canister purge solenoid valve by communicating the atmospheric chamber space of the regulator mechanism to atmosphere through the canister and providing in the movable wall of the regulator mechanism an orifice which is closed by abutment of a surrounding portion of the movable wall with an internal surface of the atmospheric chamber space when the engine is off, but is opened when that surrounding portion of the movable wall leaves that internal surface of the atmospheric chamber space upon engine running.

Abstract: An air flow/check valve for an exhaust emission system combines flow and check functions into a single valve which is especially well-suited for use with an electric motor driven air pump. The valving mechanism is operated by a fluid actuator, and pressure conditions in the actuator are controlled by sensing the pressure differential across the valving mechanism to close the valving mechanism when exhaust back pressure is indicative of causing potentially damaging backflow to the air pump. Several embodiments of the invention are disclosed.

Abstract: A relatively resilient hose end telescoped over a relatively rigid tube end wherein a first axial zone of the tube end has an exterior rib with a circumferentially continuous radially outermost edge and a second axial zone of the tube end proximal to the first axial zone has circumferentially extending beveled exterior retention ribs, the hose end has a third axial zone which contains circumferentially extending beveled interior retention ribs complementary to those of the second axial zone, the exterior retention ribs and the interior retention ribs coact to resist axial separation of the hose end from the tube end with greater resistance than that encountered during telescoping of the hose end over the tube end, the hose end has a fourth axial zone proximal to the third axial zone and a fifth axial zone proximal to the fourth axial zone, the fourth axial zone has a nominal wall thickness less than those of the immediately contiguous portions of the third and fifth axial zones, and the fourth axial zone is s

Abstract: The switch assembly comprises a single inertial sensing mass which is magnetically biased to an initial position along a path of travel within an enclosure. In this position, the mass holds a normally closed arming switch open. A normally open discriminating switch is disposed in the path of travel of the mass to be closed by the mass upon the occurrence of a velocity change indicating that a passive occupant restraint device such as an air bag should be deployed. Travel of the mass from the initial position releases the arming switch before the discriminating switch closes.

Abstract: The evaporative emission control system for an internal combustion engine purges the vapor collection canister to the intake manifold through a purge regulator controlled by the engine ECU. The purge regulator comprises a diaphragm valve and an electronic vacuum regulator. The purge regulator functions to allow a purge flow rate correlated with a control signal from the engine ECU and manifold vacuum, to maintain the purge flow rate substantially constant in response to certain changes in the magnitude of manifold vaccum, and to re-adjust the purge flow rate in correlation with changes in the control signal from the engine ECU.

Abstract: A valve assembly embodies a valve element, an expansible and contractible chamber space having porting via which it is expanded and contracted, and a connecting rod that transmits the expansion and contraction of the chamber space to the valve element, in a signal plastic part.

Abstract: A valve assembly of novel configuration is associated with the main air induction passage of a fuel-injected, spark-ignited, automotive internal combustion engine for the purpose of regulating the idle air flow. The valve assembly has an inlet connected upstream of the throttle and an outlet connected downstream of the throttle. A pintle controls the restriction that the valve assembly imposes on the idle air flow. The valve assembly is controlled by the engine computer selectively energizing a solenoid on the assembly. In one embodiment the solenoid armature controls flow through another flow path of the valve assembly that parallels the idle air flow path. A movable internal wall divides the valve assembly's body into two variable volume chambers. One chamber forms part of the idle air bypass while the other forms part of the parallel flow path. The one chamber is essentially at manifold vacuum while the other is regulated by a bleed valve and two orifices in the parallel flow path.

Abstract: An inertia switch comprises a mass which actuates an electrical switch assembly upon being subjected to a predetermined velocity change. The switch assembly comprises a set of two electrical contacts that are disposed within a switch enclosure in resiliently deflected, spaced apart conditions so as to make the set normally open when the inertia switch is in a quiescent condition. During the occurrence of such a predetermined velocity change, the mass operates an actuator of the electrical switch assembly to cause one contact to be further resiliently deflected and engage and also further resiliently deflect the other contact thereby creating switch closure indicating that the predetermined velocity change has occurred.

Abstract: An inertia switch assembly comprises an inertia switch assembly element encapsulated by potting material within a housing. The inertia switch assembly element comprises a non-magnetic enclosure containing an inertial mass and switch contacts. The switch contacts are connected by conductors that become terminals parallel with and spaced radially of the enclosure as they pass through an aperture in the housing. This aperture is closed by a closure on the terminals. Potting material is kept from intruding into the enclosure by a sealed closure which closes an open end of the enclosure and through which the conductors pass. The housing has an integral shroud surrounding the terminals to thereby form a connector plug structure for connetion with a mating connector plug structure leading to a circuit controlled by the switch assembly. The housing also has a triangular-shaped base containing apertures at each apex to provide for attachment of the housing to a wall.