Testing condition of internal combustion engines by sampled detection of gas leakage

Operation of an internal combustion engine is terminated with the intake and exhaust valves maintained closed. A pressurized testing gas is then injected into the combustion chamber so that vacuum at different locations on the engine may be sampled to determine location of the highest gas leakage for identifying possible engine defects corresponding thereto.

The present invention relates in general to testing and diagnosis of internal combustion engines.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of compressed air to pressurize the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine in order to determine the existence of a leak therein, is already known in the art. However, such leak detection method does not identify location of the leak. As to the diagnosis of engine condition throughout in order to schedule preventive maintenance, costly and labor intensive procedures were heretofore involved, often requiring engine disassembly. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide for complete and accurate condition diagnosis of an internal combustion engine with respect to leakage defects without costly and labor intensive engine disassembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, operation of an internal combustion engine is terminated by securing its crankshaft against rotation and maintain its intake and exhaust valves closed through timing control means during performance of a testing process instituted by injection of acompressed testing gas. Vacuum tubes are connected to the different sampling locations in the engine for detection of leakage of the testing gas therefrom in order to identify and locate engine defects corresponding to detection of the highest of the leakages at the sampled locations in the engine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawing in detail, FIG. 1 illustrates a typical internal combustion engine 10 with which the present invention may be associated. Such engine 10 includes for example an intake manifold 12 and an exhaust manifold 14 operatively positioned relative to a cylinder 16 within which a piston 18 is displaced for mechanical transfer of power by means of a piston rod 20 into an engine crankcase 22 , as generally known in the art. Pursuant to the present invention, a testing tube 24 is connected at a fixed sampling location 26 to the intake manifold 12 , while another testing tube 28 is connected at a fixed sampling location 30 to the exhaust manifold 14 . According to one embodiment, yet another testing tube 32 extends to the skirt 33 of the piston 18 enclosed by the engine cylinder 16 and terminates therein at a roving type sampling location adjacent to a lower edge of the piston skirt 33 . A petcock valve assembly is disposed on the engine 10 at a location as shown in FIG. 1 for connection of tubing 36 to the cylinder head or injector tube of the engine 10 for supply thereto of an environmentally safe testing gas for leakage testing purposes. The tubing 36 is accordingly connected through a valve 38 to a source 40 of the pressurized testing gas, such as a bottle of compressed gas.

Referring now to FIG. 2 , the internal combustion engine 10 is diagrammatically illustrated therein corresponding to that shown in FIG. 1 , wherein the intake manifold 12 is diagrammatically shown associated with a source 41 of combustion air and fuel injection control 42 through which coordinated opening of an intake valve 44 and an exhaust valve 46 are effected during normal engine operation for respectively feeding expanding piston displacing combustion air through a cylinder head 48 , adjacent to the sampling tube attachment locations 26 and 30 into the intake manifold 12 to the piston chamber of the cylinder 16 , and discharging combustion gas from the exhaust manifold 14 . The intake and exhaust valves 44 and 46 are cyclically closed during normal engine operation under timing conditions imposed by timing control 50 . Under such timing conditions associated with closure of the intake and exhaust valves 44 and 46 while the engine crankshaft within the crankcase 22 is secured against rotation to terminate engine operation, the intake and exhaust valves 44 and 46 are maintained closed and the petcock valve assembly 34 is opened to institute a testing process with the supply of the pressurized testing gas from the source 40 to the cylinder head 48 , as aforementioned.

With continued reference to FIG. 2 , the testing process is performed by vacuum sensing of the testing gas injected into the engine 10 from a plurality of test sampling locations, including the intake manifold 12 at the sampling location 36 from which the testing tube 24 extends, the exhaust manifold 14 at the sampling location 30 from which the testing tube 28 extends and the roving sampling location at the piston skirt 33 internally lining the cylinder 16 from which the testing tube 32 extends. As diagrammed in FIG. 2 , sampling of the intake manifold 12 , the exhaust manifold 14 and the lining of cylinder 16 for leakage detection is effected through a monitor 52 , involving a gas meter with appropriate sensor as generally known in the art.

Although a very small leakage may be detected at all three sampling locations as hereinbefore referred to, the location of the highest magnitude leakage reading obtained will be identified as the defect location through an indicator 54 . If the highest leakage detected is located at the intake manifold 12 , it reflects that the intake valve 44 is deficient, while detection of highest leakage at the exhaust manifold 14 indicates that the exhaust valve 46 should be inspected for deficiency. If high leakage detection is identified at the piston skirt 33 in the cylinder 16 , then the ring pack surrounding the piston cylinder 16 should be inspected. The foregoing testing procedure may be repeated where there are a plurality of piston chamber cylinders 16 associated

In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, test sampling of the piston skirt lining the cylinder 16 through the testing tube 32 is replaced by sampling of the vacuum within the crankcase 22 , established by a vacuum system 60 . Test sampling is then performed from a fixed sampling location 56 to which a testing tube 58 is connected as shown in FIG. 1 , for extension to the monitor 52 as diagrammed in FIG. 2 . The testing process otherwise remains the same except for replacing leakage detection from the piston skirt 33 in the cylinder 16 with detection of combustion chamber leakage from the crankcase 22 for comparison with leakages from the intake manifold 12 and the exhaust manifold 14 .

Obviously, other modifications and variations of the present invention may be possible in light of the foregoing teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.