Abstract: Several embodiments of an automotive engine camshaft deactivator that smoothly disconnect and reconnect a camshaft from the engine driveshaft with a low level impact force between the parts, the connection being made through a slippage friction clutch type mechanism that engages the two members in a manner providing slippage therebetween while the camshaft is being brought up to speed, whereby the camshaft lags behind the drive sprocket allowing the drive sprocket to cam a locking pin into a positive engagement relationship between the camshaft and crankshaft.

Abstract: Equipment for the collection of bar-code data from a plurality of work stations in a central processing station comprises an optical scanner at each work station connected to the central station by means of an optical fiber; all optical fibers arriving from the work stations are assembled in a fiber-assembly bracket with their rear ends arranged in one or more parallel lines positioned opposite a lens system; and the lens system transfers the alternating light and dark signals issuing from each fiber end to the photo-sensitive end of a corresponding channel of a detector, preferably a charge-coupled device. The detector converts the received light signals into electrical analog signals and transfers these to the central processing unit, where they are converted into digital signals for processing and storing in memory means.

Abstract: An electronic circuit is provided for comparing a plurality of input signals and indicating and/or selecting the maximum or minimum signal from the input set. The plurality of input signals are amplified, logarithmically compressed, and buffered by a corresponding plurality of simple transistor circuits, which are substantially identical. The buffered input signals are provided to a high resolution multiple input comparator circuit. The comparator circuit comprises a two-stage emitter-coupled comparator and a single stage inverter-amplifier. In the first comparator stage, strong input signals share the bias current but all the weak signals drop out. The inverter-amplifier stage amplifies the differences between the strong signals that survive the first comparison stage. The second stage comparator determines the strongest of the few remaining signals.

Abstract: An oil pan is provided with a partition member so as to be divided into a main chamber and an antechamber. A vertical wall of the partition member is provided at a lower region thereof with first holes adjacent to an opening of a draft tube of an oil pump and at an upper region thereof with second holes in the vicinity of an oil level. In a state of warming up following the starting, since the oil temperature is low and the viscosity of the oil is large, the oil in the antechamber cannot pass through the first holes. Accordingly, only the oil in the main chamber a quantity of which is small is circulated through the engine by the oil pump, thereby warming up the engine quickly. Low temperature oil in the antechamber is interchanged with the oil in the main chamber little by little through the second holes, so that the temperature thereof is raised gradually.

Abstract: An engine valve includes a valve head having a helical top wall arranged to enhance turbulence in an associated combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine to enhance mixing and effective efficiency during the combustion procedure.

Abstract: The invention provides a rotational phase adjustment device mounted on a rotation shaft and having a hydraulic chamber rotatable with this rotation shaft, in which operating fluid or oil can be supplied to the hydraulic chamber from a housing covering the rotational phase adjustment device. Also, the invention provides a rotational phase adjustment device which can be assembled easily, and particularly prevents damages to an oil seal, sealing a hydraulic chamber, when assembling the oil seal. A housing is attached to an engine to cover the whole of a valve timing control device, and a ring plate is secured to the housing by a bolt threaded into the ring plate from the outside of the housing, so that an oil seal mounted on an outer periphery of the ring plate is held in liquidtight sliding contact with a camshaft sleeve to form two oil passages respectively inside and outside of the camshaft sleeve.

Abstract: On a main rocker arm, there is arranged a pivotal sub-rocker arm. A rocker arm coupling mechanism is employed which, under a given condition of an associated engine, couples tightly the main rocker arm and the sub-rocker arm to cause the main rocker arm to pivot in accordance with rotation of a higher lift cam. First and second tappet members are carried by the main rocker arm to actuate two intake or exhaust valves of the engine in response to the pivoting movement of the main rocker arm. The second tappet member is loosely connected to the main rocker arm so that, under a certain condition, the second tappet member fails to transmit the pivoting movement of the main rocker arm to the associated valve. A tappet locking mechanism is further employed which, under a given operation condition of the engine, locks the second tappet member to the main rocker arm thereby to ensure the transmission of the pivoting movement of the main rocker arm to the associated valve.

Abstract: An actuating arrangement for a lift valve to be actuated by a cam includes a flexible endless tension member extending in a loop around two rollers and engaging a cam on one side and a valve on the other side.

Abstract: A respective fuel injector is provided for each cylinder in a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine. Each fuel injector is located in a respective cylinder head. There are a plurality of fuel passages for each cylinder head. Each fuel passage into the cylinder head is in two sections. One section extends from the space for receiving the fuel injector diagonally with respect to the longitudinal direction of the engine and opens on the transverse surface of the cylinder head and is sealed there. Another passage section extends at an angle to the first passage section and then intersects the lateral side surface of the cylinder head. The two passage sections each comprise a bore in the cylinder head. A wall inside the cylinder head extends between and separates two spaces for receiving inlet valves to the injector and two spaces for receiving exhaust valves from the injector. That wall extends on one side along an air intake port into the cylinder head.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed herein for reducing engine nitrogen oxide emissions by mixing hydrogen prepared from a portion of engine fuel within a simple burner. The apparatus includes a burner having an internal combustion chamber for receiving either a portion of gaseous fuel or liquid fuel for mixture with air and subsequent ignition by a spark plug. A mixing chamber is included having a series of baffles against which injected air and fuel vapor impinge causing thorough and complete air/fuel blending into a mixture subsequently ignited and burned, and then discharged into the combustion chamber of the engine itself. A preheating arrangement is provided for raising the temperature of the air/fuel mixture via a heat exchanging process with the combusted gases in the combustion chamber.

Abstract: A high-pressure fuel injection tube for a diesel engine, comprising: a tube body having connecting heads at its two end portions; fastening nuts assembled at the backs of the connecting heads; a pair of separate outer tubes so fitted on the outer circumference of the tube body as to be spaced from each other at a gap between the opposed end faces thereof and to move in the axial direction; seal ring members so fitted on the outer circumferences of the outer tubes in the vicinity of the outer end portions of the outer tubes as to engage with the fastening nuts respectively; and a relatively short joint cylinder fitted on the outer circumferences of the outer tubes across the inner end portions of the outer tubes. Further comprised is a seal ring member which is fitted between at least one fitted end portion of the joint cylinder and the outer circumference of the faced one of the outer tubes.

Abstract: A fuel distributor which has a valve acceptance opening for fuel injection valves which are in connection with a main flow conduit. The fuel distributor is easily manufactured from a profiled semi-finished product and has a fuel volume, free of vapor bubbles, located around the fuel injection valve. During a hot start of the internal combustion engine, this fuel volume permits fuel which is free from bubbles and permits a good ignitability to be sprayed through the fuel injection valves. The fuel distributor according to the invention is particularly suitable for fuel injection systems of mixture-compressing spark-ignition internal combustion engines.

Abstract: A valve actuation appliance for an internal combustion engine having an actuation lever and a coupling lever which can be coupled thereto. The levers are driven by different cams. In order to prevent coupling of the two levers in a region relative to the camshaft position, particularly when it is not certain that the coupling procedure will be concluded without interruption, it is proposed that the base circle of one of the two cams be lowered in that region by a slight amount relative to the rest of the base circle.

Abstract: An engine is provided which, in at least one cylinder or combustion area, is provided with a hydrocarbon rich fuel which produces upon combustion an exhaust gas containing unburned hydrocarbons, water vapor and carbon monoxide. The exhaust gas is treated in a catalytic converter and the reaction process that occurs therein produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide which is mixed with air to form a hydrocarbon lean, hydrogen enriched mixture. The mixture is subsequently ignited in other cylinders or combustion areas of the engine to produce power.

Abstract: An improved actuating fluid inlet manifold for a plurality of hydraulically-actuated fuel injectors. The manifold includes fluid dynamic tuning apparatus for controlling the flow of relatively high pressure actuating fluid between the common rail passage of the manifold and the injectors. The fluid dynamic tuning apparatus includes a predetermined flow restriction defined in each of the rail branch passages of the manifold. Advantages of the fluid dynamic tuning apparatus include improved injector performance and/or a reduction in structural stresses of various engine components.

Abstract: An evaporation fuel control apparatus for an engine wherein a canister is disposed in an intermediate part of a control passage which communicates between an engine inlet passage and a fuel tank, and is adapted to draw and retain evaporated fuel therein. A pressure responsive valve is disposed at an intermediate part of the passage between the canister and fuel tank for controlling opening and closing of the passage.

Abstract: An apparatus for actuating valves of an engine is disclosed. A cam shaft is supported by the engine and has at least one set of cams, e.g., two axially spaced low speed cams and a high speed cam between the low speed cams. A rocker shaft is supported by the engine. The rocker shaft supports a rocker arm for the valves. The rocker arm is driven by the low speed cams. The rocker arm has a sub-rocker shaft and a pin. A free cam follower is supported by the sub-rocker shaft and driven by the high speed cam. The apparatus comprises a mechanism including a lever supported by the pin of the rocker arm. The lever has a first position wherein the lever and the free cam follower are joined for attaining unitary motion of the free cam follower with the rocker arm. The lever has a second position wherein the lever and the free cam follower are separated for allowing relative motion of the free cam follower with respect to the rocker arm.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine has a crankshaft, a camshaft driven by the crankshaft through a drivewheel at half the crankshaft speed and at least one cam on the camshaft for actuating a spring-biased poppet valve. To achieve variable event timing, a lost motion coupling is arranged between the drive wheel and the camshaft. During the opening of the valve, the camshaft rotates at substantially the same speed as the drive wheel, but during the closing of a valve, the camshaft is accelerated by the valve spring to lead the drive wheel and thereby reduce the duration of the valve event. It is alternatively possible to collapse the opening phase of the valve event rather than the closing phase by reversing the operation of the coupling.

Abstract: A lubrication system for the internal combustion engine of a motorcycle that includes a pump that outputs a constant amount of fluid per cycle of operation and a delivery valve which selectively passes lubricant to the engine or returns lubricant back to the system to vary the amount of lubricant supplied by the lubricant pump. The system is designed so as to self purge air from the system by mounting the lubricant pump and the delivery valve in close proximity to each other and at a lower level than the lubricant storage tank. In addition, the engine is supplied with lubricant from the supply outlet through a conduit that terminates at a point higher than the supply outlet so as to preclude lubricant from draining into the engine when the engine is not running.

Abstract: Two bearing cups are rigidly mounted on side portions of a rocker arm and extend over respective arms of a bearing support member. Rolling members within an annulus formed between the bearing cups and the bearing support member permit the rocker arm to oscillate rotatably with respect to the bearing support member. Each bearing cup has a stepped bottom surface with a first bottom portion engageable with ends of the rolling members to limit axial movement of the rolling members and a second bottom portion, offset axially with respect to the first bottom portion, engageable with stop surfaces to limit axial movement of the rocker arm with respect to the support member. A bearing assembly for mounting within a rocker arm is also disclosed.