US1815623A - Crankcase ventilation - Google Patents

Description

July 21, 1931. H, G, KAMRATH 1,815,623

cRANxcAsE VENTILATION Filed Aug-i 1s, 192? 2 sheets-sheet 1 v s I {iE- Z i w @ya l l l mmf;

@annata July 2l, 1931.

H. G. KAMRATH I 1,815,623

CRANKCASE VENTILATION Filed Aug. 13, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2L atten/41,0 i

Patented July 21, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT- oFFicE HERBERT Gr. KAMRATI-I, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO A C SPARK PLUG COM- PANY, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, A COMPANY OF MICHIGAN CRANKCASE VENTILATION Application iled August 13, 1927. Serial No. 212,698.

This invention relates to crankcase ventilators for automobile engines and more particularly to ventilators of this character in which the air from the crankcase is con ducted to the carburetor intake.

In order to ventilate an internal combustion motor properly it is necessary to pass a considerable quantity of air through the crankcase when the engine is lirst started and is still cold. After the engine has been ruiming some time and the crankcase and contents are quite warm, the water vapor and other hot gases escaping from the combustion chamber into the crankcase will not pass from the gaseous to the liquid state so rapidly, if at all, and the need for ventilation is less.

It is an object of this invention to provide a Ventilating system for an internal combustion engine which will pass a sufficient quantity o1* air through the crankcase when the engine is cold and which will vary the quantity ot air passing through the crankcase in accordance with the needs of the engine. More specilically it is an object of this invention to provide a Ventilating device for an engine crank case which will divert from the carburetor intake through the crankcase and ba-ck into the intake a current of air suflicient to ventilate the crankcase while cold and which, as the engine heats, will progressively reduce the proportion of the carburetor intake current which is passed through the crankcase. It is a further object of this invention to provide a Ventilating device of this character which will progressively reduce the proportion of the incoming air which is permitted to pass through the crankcase and which is automatically controlled by the changing temperature in the cooling system.

Other objects and advantages of the iii-I vention will appear in the course of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken away, of the valve and its connection to the thermostat in the cooling system.

Figure 2 is a plan view taken in the direction indicated by the lines 2 2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1. i

Figure 5 is a section Figure 4.

VFigure G is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates generally the inlet to the radiator which is connected by theV usual flexible tube 12 to the water jacket about the engine block, not shown.

The numeral 14 indicates a portion of the engine crankcase which is provided with two narrow openings 16. Securely fixed to the crankcase at this point by means of bolts 17 is kthe by-pass member or casting 18 provided with outwardly converging conduits 20 and 22, an inner end of each registering with one of the openings 16 in the crankcase. Fixed to the outer end of the casting 18 by means of bolts 24 is the damper casting 26, which is provided with an opening registering with the converged ends of the conduits 20 and 22. Pivoted on the damper casting between the openings into the conduits 20 and 22 is the shaft 28 carrying the butterfly valve 29. Fixed to the damper casting by any suitable means such as by welding are the pipes 3() and 32 of the air intake system. The pipe 30 ordinarily is provided with an air cleaner. The pipe 32 leads to the carburetor and intake manifold. By the construction described it is seen that with the parts in the position illustrated in Figure 4 part oit the air entering through the pipe 30 is deflected by the butterfly valve 29 into the conduit 20, the main body of the incoming air passing on to theV pipe 32 leading to the carburetor Land intake manifold. That portion of the air deflected into the conduit 2O passes through the crankcase and out through the conduit 22'into the valve casing where it becomes mixed with the rest of the incoming air. Thisv construction thus provides a on the line 5 5 of damper between the air inlet and the crankcase.

The amount of air deflected into the crankcase can be controlled by the position of the butterfly valve. The device for controlling the position of this valve will now be described. Fixed to the shaft 28 is a pinion 3.. meshing with the teeth of a rack 34 slidable in a groove in angle iron 36 held lixed to the top of the casting 26 by a key 38 extending through the shaft 28. The angle iron 3G is provided at one end with a screw 40 for clamping the angle iron about a flexible hollow tube 42 which is fastened by a. nut 44 to an externally threaded opening 46 in the bottom of the radiator inlet 10.

Fixed to the roof of the upper section of the radiator inlet by means of a nut 48 is an ordinary corrugated expansible thermostat 50. A shaft 52 is connected to the bottom of the thermostat 50 and extends through the pening 46 into the hollow tube 42. Packing may be 4used about the shaft 52 to insure against leakage from the radiator inlet into the hollen7 tube 42. An opening 54 is provided between the upper and lower sections of the radiator inlet and fixed to the shaft 52 adjacent this opening is a disk or closure member 56. The disk is fixed to the shaft 52 at such a position that when the liquid in the radiator is cold the disk will be held in closed position as illustrated. In order to allow a small current to pass through the opening at any time, the disk may be perforated or the edge of the disk or opening 54 may be uneven so that the disk will not close the opening completely. A Bowden wire or flexible element 58 connects the lower end of the shaft 52 and toothed rack 34.

rlhe operation of the device is as follows. yWhen the engine is not running'and the water in the radiator is cold, the disk 5G will hold the opening 54 substantially but not quite closed. The flexible element 58 holds the rack 34 in position to retain the butterfly valve open as illustrated in Figure 4. Then the engine is started, the disk permits a small current of cooling' liquid from the engine to pass through the radiator inlet so that the thermostat will be heated as the temperature of the engine rises. As the cooling liquid becomes heated, the thermostat expands and moves the shaft 52 downward. Movement of the shaft 52 downward carries the disk 56 away from the opening 54 so that when the engine. becomes heated to the proper operating temperature the valve will be open and will permit a full flow of cooling liquid into the radiator. l thus provide a thermostatically controlled valve in the cooling system. Downward movement of the shaft 52 also operates through the Bowden 'wire 58 to move the rack 34 which acts through the pinion 32 to rotate the shaft 28 to move the lbutterfly valve toward closed position. As is well known, the condensation of moisture does not occur within the crankcase when the temperature of the radiator water is above a certain point, called the critical temperature. The parts above described are so arranged that when this temperature is reached, the valve 29 will be held closed. This construction provides a thermostatically controlled damper between the air inlet and the crankcase.

As regards the Ventilating device above, it is obvious that it could be controlled by a thermostat located elsewhere than in the cooling system, it being necessary only that the therniostat be located where it will be responsive to a change in temperature of the engine crankcase, either directly or indirectly.

l claim:

l. The combination with a liquid cooled internal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, of a connection establishing communication between the crankcase above the level of the oil therein, and the rair intake, and means for varying the capacity of said connection inversely with the temperature of the cooling system.

2. In combination with a liquid cooled internal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, an opening leading from the intake into the crankcase above the level of the oil therein, an element movable to vary the effective size of said opening, and means operated solely by a change in temperature of the cooling system for moving said element.

In combination with an internal combustion engine including an air intake and a cranl-case, openings leading from the intake into the crankcase above the level of the oil therein, an element in said intake movable to vary the elfecti-ve size of one of said openings, and means operated by a change in the temperature of the engine for moving said element.

4. In combination with an internal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, openings leading from the intake into the crankcase above the level of the oil therein, an element in said intake for deflecting a part of the incoming air into one of the openings and movable to vary the effective size of said opening, and means operated by a. change in temperature of the engine for moving said element.

5. In combination with an internal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, openings leading from the intake int-o the crankcase above the level of the oil therein, an element in said intake movable to vary the effective sizes of said openings, and means operated by a change in temperature of the engine for moving said element.

G. ln combination with an internal conibustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, openings leading from the intake into the crankcase, an element in said intake for deflect-ing a portion of the incoming'air into one of said openings and movable to vary the eifective sizes of said openings, and means operated by a change in temperature of the engine for moving said element.

7. In combination with a liquid cooled internal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, openings leading from said intake into the crankcase above the level of the oil therein, an element in said intake movable to vary the effective size of one of said openings, and means operated by a change in temperature of the cooling'system for moving said element.

8. In combination with a liquid cooled internal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, openings leading from the air intake into the crankcase, an element in the intake for deflecting a part of the incoming air into one of said openings and movable to vary the effective size of said opening, and means operated by a change in the temperature of the cooling system for moving said element.

9. In combination with a liquid cooled internal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase openings leading from the intake into the crankcase, an element in said intake movable to open or close said openings, a thermostat in the cooling system, and means operated by the heating and cooling of the thermostat for moving said element to close and open said openingsl respectively. y

10. In combination with a liquid cooled internal combustion engine, including an air intake and a crankcase, openings leading from the intake into the crankcase, an element within the intake for deflecting air into one of said openings and movable to open or close said opening, a thermostat in the cooling system, and means operated by heating and cooling of the thermostat for moving said element to close and open said opening respectively.

11. In combination with a liquid cooled internal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, openings leading from the intake into the crankcase, an element in said intake for deilecting a portion of the incoming air into one of the openings and movable to close said openings, a thermostat in the cooling system, and means operated by the rising temperature of the thermostat for closing said openings.

12. In combination with a liquid cooled internal combustion engine including anV air intake and a crankcase openings leading from the intake into the crankcase, an element in said intake movable to open or close one of said openings,- a thermostat -in the cooling system adjacent the radiator inlet, a shaft extending through said inlet and reciprocated by the cooling and heating of said thermostat, and means operated by the reciprocation of said shaft for moving said element to open or close said openings.

13. In combination with a liquid cooled Vinternal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, openings leading from the air intake into the crankcase, an element in said intake movable to vary the effective size of one of said openings, a thermostat in the cooling system adjacent the radiator inlet, a shaft extending through said inlet and reciprocated by the heating and cooling of said thermostat, a flexible tube connected with the inlet and intake, a flexible thrust member connected with the shaft and extending through said tube, and means operated by the reciprocation of said shaft and thrust member for moving said element.

14. In a structure as recited in claim 11, said means comprising a rack fixed to said thrust member and a cooperating pinion connected with the movable element.

15. In combination with a liquid cooled internal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, a damper between the intake and the crankcase, a valve in the water system, and means operated by a rise in the temperature of the Water system for moving said damper toward closed position and said valve toward open position and vice versa.

16. In combination with a liquid cooled internal combustion engine including an air intake and a crankcase, a damper between the intake and the crankcase, a thermostat in the cooling system and having a thrust member connected therewith and adapted to be reciprocated by the rise and fall of the temperature of the cooling system, a valve in the cooling system, and means operated by the movement of the thrust member in one direction for moving the damper toward closed Vand the valve toward open position and by movement of the thrust member in the opposite direction for moving said damper toward open and the valve toward closed position.

17. An internal combustion engine having a crankcase provided with an inlet passage and an outlet passage, means for causing a stream of air to flow past the entrance to said inlet passage, movable means projecting into said air stream for deflecting air into said entrance, and means Controlled by the engine temperature for moving said rst named means away from deflecting position as the engine temperature rises.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HERBERT Gr. KAMRATI-I.

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