CRANKCASE BREATHER

Abstract: A crankcase breather (10) is designed to automatically adjust the air-fuel mixture to the carburetor of an internal combustion engine in response to driving conditions. The device has a round ball valve (36) (36') for controlling, or regulating the air-fuel mixture by opening to admit outside air when the vacuum force on the valve falls below a preset level. A fine tuning knob (40), positioned intermediate the ends of the device, is rotatable to adjust this present level. Preferably the device communicates with the crankcase (14) through the PCV hose that directs unburned hydrocarbon gases from the crankcase to the intake manifold of the engine. The device may further include a series of internal baffles (62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72) that function as a condensation trap to increase the residence time of heavy unburned hydrocarbons within the device. In one embodiment, a modified valve (102) includes a ball (36') having fluted ends (104, 106) to guide the valve travel and to visually serve as a position indicator.

Description: CRANKCASEBREATHER BACKGROUND-OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to a fuel-saving device, and more specifically to a device usable with an internal combustion engine to increase fuel economy and reduce the pollution level of exhaust emissions. This invention is directed to an improvement over my previous invention of a crankcase breather described and claimed in U.S. Patent 3,118,435. In my prior device, a ball valve is employed to admit exhaust gases from the crankcase into the" base of a carburetor that communicates with the intake manifold when the manifold vacuum drops below a predetermined level. One of the major deficienc¬ ies of this device is that it is incapable of treating the waste gases so that they will be in a more combustible form when they are directed into the engine. This causes low efficiency engine operation, dirty combustion and excessive engine wear. Since the crankcase breather disclosed in my above referenced patent is employed in a line that conveys waste gases to the carburetor, it is desirable to be able to periodically clean the line (including the breather) with a chemical cleaner. This would be a very simple and clean job it it could be carried out without having to open up the line. However, when my patented breather ' .is used, a cleaner can only be added by opening up one of the lines that communicates the breather with the crank¬ case * or carburetor. A further deficiency associated with my earlier device resides in the manner in which the ball valve is OMPI constrained. Specifically, a compression spring has one of its ends extending through the interior of the valve to prevent it from rotating. When the waste-gases are directed past thevalve they tend to deposit contaminants on it. Over an extended period of time " these contaminants can build up and prevent the valve from functioning pro¬ perly. By constraining the ball valve so that it can't rotate, it is not able to rid itself of these contamin-> ' . ants. OMPI • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a gas-saving device that can be installed easily into the main positive crankcase ventilation line that connects the pollution control valve with the intake manifold of an internal com¬ bustion engine; preferably at or near the base of a car¬ buretor that is connected to the manifold. The unique device of this invention improves both positive crankcase ventilation efficiency and carburetiόn:.. efficiency in a manner which has not been achievable in prior art devices. This gas-saving device includes an interior com¬ partment that communicates with the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine. This communication is provid¬ ed through, a hose that connects one end of the device with the base of the carburetor. An opening extends through a side wall of the device intermediate its ends, and a ball valve, when opened, permits outside air to enter the interior compartment of the device through this opening and mix with the gasoline directed into the carburetor to make the fuel mixture more lean. The valve is opened when the vacuum level established through the carburetor falls below a preset level. The vacuum level at which the valve opens can be set by a fine tuning knob extending through, a side wall of the device intermediate the ends that are intended to be connected into the positive crankcase ventilation line. Most preferably the valve will be set to open when the vacuum level at the base of the carburetor falls be¬ low about ten inches of mercury. This generally occurs when the engine is placed under heavy load, such as when accelerating, climbing hills, pulling a trailer, driving at high speeds, etc. Under these conditions, the car- -4- buretor fuel mixture tends to become gas rich due to the operation of the power and acceleration circuits associat¬ ed with the carburetor. This, in turn, ' results in uneco¬ nomical fuel consumption. However, under these heavy load conditions, the valve in the gas-saving device will open to admit outside air and thereby "lean" the mixture. This will provide for more efficient combustion (greater carburetion efficiency) and thereby greater fuel efficien¬ cy- In accordance with another aspect of this inven¬ tion the fine tuning knob extends through an opening in the side wall of the device, and this opening communi¬ cates with the interior compartment of said device. By removing this knob, a port is provided through which a chemical cleaner can be introduced to clean the positive crankcase ventilation line while the motor is idling; without having to disconnect the line. Therefore, a desired quantity of a chemical cleaner can be poured into the device of this invention for gradually cleaning out the positive crankcase ventilation line in an easy and reliable manner. In accordance with a further aspect of this inven¬ tion, the ball, valve is free to rotate as it is moved between valve opening and valve closing positions.. This rotational motion porvides a self-cleaning action to pre¬ vent undesirable * waste materials from building up on the ball valve and thereby impairing its sealing capabilities. A further feature of this invention resides in the provision of a condensation trap in the interior compartment of the device to improve fuel efficiency. Specifically, a series of internal baffles are provided to retard the movement of gases moving through the device -5- from the crankcase ventilation system. This increases the residence time in the device of heavy fuel-rich condensates to permit them to be aerated and vaporized by lighter hot gases that also enter the device from the crankcase ventilation line. This feature is especially desirable prior to the engine being warmed up since it is at this time that materials entering the device from the positive crankcase ventilation system contain the most water and are richest in unburned fuel particles. Vapor¬ izing off the water and aerating the fuel particles will greatly improve the combustibility of the heavy conden- : sates to thereby improve fuel efficiency. A further aspect of this invention resides in the inclusion of a simple switch that is closed when the ball valve of the device is opened to admit outside air. The closing of this switch completes a circuit .that includes a light mounted on the indicator panel in the interior of a vehicle to. visually indicate to the driverwhen he is operating the vehicle under heavy load, and therefore in¬ efficiently. It is an object of this invention to provide an extremely simple, reliable and economical gas saving device for use in connection with internal combustion engines. It is a further object of this invention to pro¬ vide a gas saving device that improves both carburetion efficiency and positive crankcase ventilation efficiency. It is a further object of this invention to pro¬ vide a gas saving device in which the preset vacuum level at which ' a ball valve will open to admit outside air can be fine turned by an adjustment knob. t is a further object of this invention to pro¬ vide a gas saving device that can also be use as the means for introducing a chemical cleaning agent into the positive crankcase ventilation line. It is a further object of this invention to pro¬ vide a gas saving device employing a self- cleaning ball valve that, when opened, admits outside air into the in¬ take manifold of an internal combustion engine. It is a further object of this invention to pro¬ vide a gas saving device including a trap for heavy con¬ densates flowing out of the crankcase, and for treating the condensates so that they will be in a more combustible Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had by referring to the following des¬ cription and claims of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts through the several views, and in which: " BUR-4 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 shows the gas saving device of this inven¬ tion positioned in the main positive crankcase ventilation line that communicates with the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine through a carburetor; Fig. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the gas saving device of this invention; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the device shown in Fig. 2, but with the parts assembled; Fig. 4 is. a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 shows circuitry, in schematic form, for turning on a dashboard light of a vehicle when the vehicle is being driven in an inefficient manner. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Fig. 3, showing a second embodiment; and Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along line 8-8 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a partial, longitudinal sectional view showing a modified valve construction. Fig. 10 is an enlarged, elevational view looking from line 10-10 in Fig. 9. -8- Fig. 11 is " a partial, longitudinal sectional view showing another modified valve construction. - Fig. 12 is an enlarged, sectional view taken along line 12-12 in Fig. 11. " BU RE DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED ' EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are in¬ tended to refer only to the particular structure of the invention selected for illustration in the drawings, and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the in¬ vention. Referring to Fig. 1, the crankcase breather 10 of this invention is shown installed in the main positive crankcase ventilation line, between the PCV valve and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine 11. The connection for directing gases into the intake mani¬ fold of the engine is made at the carburetor 12. The hose connected to the PCV valve is directed into the valve cover 14 or to the engine block to communicate with the crankcase. As a result of the above described con¬ nections, the gases from the crankcase will pass through the PCV yalve, the gas saving device 10 of this invention, the base of the carburetor 12 and into the intake manifold of the engine. Referring to Figs. 2-4, the gas saving device 10 includes a casing 20 that is partitioned to divide its interior into a centrally located, laterally extending cylindrical proportioning valve chamber 22, and spaced apart condensation trap reservoirs 24 and 26 on opposite sides of the valve chamber. The manner in which the reservoirs 24 and 26 function will be explained in detail later in this application. Barbed connectors 28 and 30 of generally trun¬ cated conical configuration are included at the opposed ends of the casing 20, preferably. as removable caps, and 0 PI -10- are graduated in diameter along their lengths• to provide a generally fluid tight connection with interior walls of virtually all conventional PCV vent lines and hoses. As can be seen in Fig. 3, diametrically spaced apart passages 32 and 34 are included in the walls of the cylindrical valve chamber 22. The connectors 28 and 30 are hollow to provide a through passageway from one end of the device 10 to the other. Referring specifically to Figs. 3 and 4, a unique feature of this invention resides in a fine tuning mechanism, indicated generally at 35, for regulating, or adjusting an air-fuel proportioning valve 36. In the embodiment illustrated, the proportioning valve 36 is a round ball freely rotatable in a valve compartment 38 at one end of the valve chamber 22. The fine tuning mechanism 35 includes a fine tuning knob 40 having an externally threaded hub 42 cooperating with internal threads at the end of valve chamber 22 remote from the valve compartment 38. A cylindrical recess 44, con¬ centric with the threaded exterior of the hub 42, extends inwardly from an end wall of the hub to receive one end of a compression spring 46 therein. The opposite end of the spring engages the ball valve 36 to bias it into a valye opened position, as will be discussed in detail hereinafter. Suffice it to state at this point that the counteracting force, i.e., the valve closing force, is established by the vacuum force through the carburetor 12 connected to the intake manifold of the engine. A thermo- static bimetallic disk: 48 reduces the pressure behind the spring during cold weather conditions, or when the engine is cold, to impose a lower valve opening force on the ball valve 36 than would otherwise exist if the disk were not employed. Under these conditions a lower vacuum force is required to permit the valve to open, as will be dis¬ cussed in greater detail hereinafter. Referring to Fig. 3, the circular ball valve 36 is constrained to move laterally between inner and outer circular valve seats 50 and 52, respectively,- of the valve compartment 38. When the ball valve 36 is seated against the inner valve seat 50, as shown in phantom representa-. ' tion, the passageway 53 is closed to substantially seal off the device 10 from outside or ambient air. However, to improve the responsiveness of the ball valve 36, the valve seat 50 is provided with one or more slots 55 that permit a minimum flow of air to pass the seat 50, even when it is closed by the ball valve. When the ball valve 36 is seated against the outer seat 52, as shown in solid representation, the interior of the device 10 is sealed off from the outside environment to prevent the emission ' of gases into the atmosphere. When the ball valve 36 is moved into intermediate positions between the inner and outer valve seats 50 and 52, outside air will be permit¬ ted to enter the device to mix with the gasoline entering the intake manifold of the* engine through the carburetor 12. The manner in which the ball valve 36 operates will . be explained in detail later in connection with the dis¬ cussion of the operation of the device 10. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the outer end of the valve compartment 38 includes an open grid structure 56 providing openings to permit external air to enter the device 10 when the ball valve 36 is in an intermediate position between the inner and outer valve seats 50 and 52, respectively. Preferably a disk 57, made of foam for example, is positioned over the open grid 56, and an an¬ nular retaining ring 58 holds the disk in this position by the cooperation of internal threads on the ring with external threads on a cylindrical flange 60 of the cas¬ ing 20. The filter disk 57 is employed to intercept and filter the air flow entering the device 10 through the OMPI ' open grid 56. The three * coil counter spring 120 is inter¬ posed between the ball, valve 36 and the grid',56 to improve valve action by making the valve more sensitive and by increasing accuracy. Referring specifically to Figs. 3 and 5, a plural¬ ity of internal baffles are provided to interrupt the continuity of the spaced apart reservoirs 24 and 26. These baffles provide an increased surface area for engag¬ ing gases passing through the reservoirs, and also pro¬ vide for increased residence time of the gases within said reservoirs. In the embodiment illustrated, the reservoir 24 is provided with a series of three spaced apart, circular baf¬ fles.62, 64 and 66. Aa can be seen in Fig. 3, the passages 63, 65 and 67 through these baffles are axially offset with respect to each other to cause the flow of gases to deviate as it passes through the reservoir 24. In a like manner, the reservoir 26 includes three spaced apart, circular baf¬ fles 68, 70 and 72 having passages 69, 71 and 73 that are axially offset with respect to each other. These latter baffles perform the same function as the baffles in the res¬ ervoir 24. The effect of these baffles is to increase the length of gas travel through the reservoirs while at the same time retarding gas velocity. " In this manner " , the residence time of the gases within the reservoirs 24 and 26 is increased. The benefits of this increased residence time will «be discussed later.. If desired, the air-fuel proportioning valve 36 can be included in a dashboard lamp circuit to close the circuit and activate a light when in an opened condition. This occurs under inefficient driving conditions to provide a visible indicator of such conditions to the driver. As is shown schematically in Fig. 6, a contact element 74, forming part of a switch 76, is in its opened condition, when the ball valve 36 is engaged with inner valve seat 50. The contact element 74 is moved into a circuit closing position when the ball valve 36 moves into its opened position. This will close the circuit from ground, through the dash¬ board lamp 77 to the hot side of the ignition switch. When the ignition switch is "on", and the contact 74 closes the switch 76, the dashboard lamp 77 will be lit. The gas saving device 10 can be easily inserted into the positive crankcase ventilation line of existing automobiles. Specifically, the rubber hose leading from the PCV valve to the carburetor base should be cut, and a portion of this hose removed to allow space for the device 10 of this invention. The device then is connected into the line by inserting the conical connectors 28 and 30 into the cut ends of the hose. The device 10 preferably is calibrated ' in the fac¬ tory. However, this calibration generally is based on an average size engine in a well tuned condition- Since the device is intended for use in vehicles having different size engines, or engines which may be slightly out of tune, a fine tuning of the device may be required. It is for this purpose that the fine tuning mechanism 35 is provided. The fine tuning knob 40 of the mechanism can be employed to either increase or decrease the spring force applied to the valve 36, depending upon the direction in which it is ro¬ tated. This spring force tends to bias the valve away from the inner valve seat 50 into an open condition. An opposite force is applied to the ball valve 36 by the vacuum estab¬ lished through the carburetor 12 to bias the ball valve 36 toward the inner seat 50. Therefore, the magnitude of the valve opening force imparted to the ball valve 36 by the compression spring 46 will determine the magnitude of the vacuum force level, below which the valve 36 will be opened. Specifically, when the spring force is lowered, a lower vacuum level will be required to cause the valve to move out of its sealing engagement with the inner seat 50. The fine tuning adjustment is generally made so that the ball valve 36 will be in a closed condition against the seat 50 when the vacuum established through the carburetor 12 is approximately ten inches of mercury or greater. In other words, the fine tuning knob 40 is adjusted so that the vac¬ uum force acting on the ball valve 36 when the vacuum pres¬ sure through the carburetor 12 is greater than ten inches of mercury is greater than the downwardly acting force of the compression spring 46 on said ball valve. The counter coil spring 120 imposes a counteracting force on the ball valve 36 and acts to improve valve action. The ball valve can be adjusted to open at even higher vacuum thus increas¬ ing the leaning and fuel saving potential. By employing the coil spring 120, the valve can be adjusted to open and close at substantially the same vacuum instead of opening at approximately five inches of vacuum and closing at eight inches, as was common in prior art devices. Also, the posi tive action of the spring 120 prevents ball valve "hang-up". Vacuum levels in excess of ten inches of mercury generally exist when the engine initially is idling or when it is being driven under light load conditions. In these cases it is not necessary to modify the air-fuel mixture that is established by the carburetor, since the carburetor circuit is designed to provide the proper mixture. However the ball valve 36 automatically will open, by moving out of engagement with, the inner valve seat 50, whenever the vacuum present drops below a preset level; generally below ten inch es of mercury. These low vacuum levels are established when the engine is being operated ' inefficiently under heavy load, such aswhen accelerating, climbing hills, pulling a trailer or driving at high speeds. At these low vacuum levels, the UK ' -15- carburetor mixture ratio. ecomes over rich as a result of the carburetor's power and acceleration circuit cutting in. This results in inefficient combustion and an undesirable loss of unburned hydrocarbons. However, as a result of this invention, the ball valve 36 will be opened at these low vacuum levels (heavy load operating conditions) to admit outside air through the device 10 into the base of the car¬ buretor to thereby "lean" the air-fuel mixture. This re¬ sults in less gasoline being consumed without losing power or performance. Thus, it can be seen that this invention provides a unique advantage of improving carburetion effi- ' ciency by automatically "leaning" the gasoline mixture under high load conditions, when the noraml carburetor circuit tends to provide an over rich condition. Another unique advantage resides in the function provided by the series of internal baffles 62, 64, 66, 68, 70 and 72 in the reservoirs 24 and 26. Specifically, these baffles cause the reservoirs to act as traps to capture heavy condensates that pass into the device 10 through the PCV valve hose. As explained earlier, these baffles estab¬ lish a greater residency time for the condensates within the device 10. This provides an opportunity for these condensates to settle in the reservoirs so that they will ' . be aerated and vaporated by lighter hot gases that flow through the PCV valve and into and through the interior of the device 10. The aerating and vaporizing of these heavy condensates causes them to be introduced into the carbure¬ tion mixture in an improved combustible form, and this re¬ sults in a cleaner burning engine with more power produced. By forming less pollutants, combustion is obtained with less oil contamination, and thus with reduced engine wear and less deterioration in operating performance. Most preferably the force. of the spring 46 against the valve 36 is set at a level that will tightly seat the -16- valve against the outer valve seat 52 when there is no coun¬ teracting vacuum force acting on the valve. This occurs whe the engine is turned off, or when it backfires, and will pre vent polluting gases from exiting into the atmosphere. How¬ ever, the spring force should be set so that at low vacuum levels (i.e., when the engine is operating under heavy load) the counteracting vacuum force will prevent the downwardly acting forceof the compression spring 46 from firmly seating the ball valve against the outer valve seat 52 to prevent ai from flowing into the device. This is extremely important since it is at these low vacuum levels that air should be ad¬ mitted through the device into the gasoline mixture. Several advantages are achieved in the gas saving device 10 of this invention. First, since the fine tuning knob 40 is positioned intermediate the ends of the device, it is possible to remove the knob and use the opening in which it was retained as an entrance port for a chemical cleaner to thereby clean the positive crankcase ventilation line without disconnecting the device, and while the engine is idling. The breather device disclosed in my earlier re¬ ferred to patent cannot be used in this manner. An additional advantage resides in the fact that the ball valve 36 is freely rotatable within its valve compart¬ ment 38. As the valve rotates, it will engage surfaces of the compartment to provide a self cleaning action. This will prevent the build * up of contaminants on the valve that could interfere with, the valve's seating function. An additional advantageous feature of this device is the thermostatic bimetallic disk 48 positioned between the spring 46 and the base of the recess 44 provided in the fine tuning knob 40. Under cold weather conditions this bimetall ic disk will contract, and thereby.reduce the force -imposed upon the ball valve 35 by the compression spring 46. By re- -17- ducing this force, it is necessary to establish a lower mani¬ fold vacuum level to open the ball valve, and thereby "lean" the air-fuel mixture. Therefore, when the engine is cold, such as when it is initially started, and also while it is warming up, the disk 48 cooperates with the spring 46 to prevent the valve from opening and introducing air into the fuel mixture. If excess air were permitted to enter the mixture under these conditions," it could make the mixture too lean to permit quick engine starting. However, once the eng¬ ine has warmed up, the disk 48 will expand to thereby increase the spring force against the ball valve 36. This will cause the ball valve to open under higher vacuum levels, when the engine is being oeprated inefficiently, to establish the de¬ sired "leaning" of the mixture. One of the most significant advantages of this in¬ vention resides in the unique condensation trap that helps to maintain cleaner combustion chambers, valves and spark plugs. By forming less pollutants, combustion is obtained with less oil contamination, and thus with reduced engine wear and less deterioration in operating performance... In the generally similar embodiment illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, a modified gas saving device 10' illustrated including a modified casing 20'. A centrally located air- fuel proportioning valve chamber 22' includes a base socket 49 of size to receive an end of the spring 46 therein. The spring biases against the ball valve 36 and normally urges the valve 36 against its outer seat 52' to prevent the en¬ trance of outside air. The ball valve is constrained to move laterally between the inner and outer circular valve seats 50', 52' in the manner hereinbefore set forth. . The modified fine tuning device 40' comprises a threaded end 80 which threadedly, adjustably engages the threaded socket 82 formed in the modified casing 20*. An O-ring seal 84 is interposed between the casing 20' and the shoulder 86 to seal the connection between the tuning device 40* and the casing 20'. Thus by turning the tuning device 40' relative to the casing, the spring force upon the ball valve 36 can be increased or decreased depending upon the direction in which it is rotated. A foam plastic or other material disk 57 overfits the outer seat 52' and is retained in position by a removable annular retaining ring 58. The aligned conduits 24*, 26' communicate with the valve chamber 22' and permit longitudinal flow of gases (not shown) through the device 10'. An oil sump 88 is positioned near the bottom 90 of the casing. The sump 88 forms a well or chamber of sufficient size to trapor receive blow-by con¬ densates emitted from the crankcase 14 until they can be warmed and vaporzied by lighter hot gases travelling from the PVC valve toward the carburetor. It will be noted that the aligned conduits 24', -26', could also be provided with internal solid or screened baf¬ fles if so desired to regulate flow through the device. The baffles could be provided with staggered holes or perhaps solid baffles could be designed with slanted louvers to swirl gases through the device to aid vaporization. Referring now to Figs. 9 and 10, another embodiment of the invention is illustrated wherein the casing 20" is provided with a valve chamber 22" within which a compression spring 46 acts to continuously bias a modified valve 102 against the outer circular valve seat 52". The valve 102 is movable within the valve chamber 22" between the outer cir¬ cular seat 52" and the inner circular seat 50" in the manner hereinbefore set forth for the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 3 and 7. The valve 102 in the embodiment illustrated in ' BΪ E OMPI -19- Figs. 9 and 10 includes a ball portion 36" equipped with diametrically opposed radially outwardly extending fluted ends 104, 106. The fluted inner end 106 is encompassed by the end of the spring 46 in a manner to urge the valve 102 normally outwardly against the outer circular seat 52". The outer fluted end 104 extends outwardly through the foam disk 57" and through the retaining ring 58" so as to be visible from exteriorly of the device. The modified valve 102 with fluted ends 104, 106 therefore serves the multiple purposes of admitting air, guiding the valve travel within the chamber 22" and additionally provides a visual position indicator to show when the valve is adjusted correctly. As seen in Fig. 10, the retaining ring 58" includes a spider 108 which de¬ fines interiorly a concentric opening 110 through which the outer fluted end 104 of the valve 102 is freely reciprocal. A removable or integral cap 122 overfits the fluted valve end 104 to prevent unfiltered air from entering the valve chamber. Preferably, the cap 122 should be fabricated of clear or transparent plastic to permit visability therethrough. Turning now to Figs. 11 and 12, another modified valve is illustrated wherein the valve chamber 22"' is tap¬ ered from exterior to interior with slots or ribs 112 ex¬ tending between the inner seat 50"' and outer seat 52"'. Preferably, the inclination or taper of the slots or ribs 112 begins at a point 114 which is below the center line of the ball valve 36. As illustrated in Fig. 12, four or more slots or ribs 112 may be employed -in this design. The valve arrangement illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12 provides for proportioning air admission whereby the further the ball valve 36 moves away from the inner seat 50"" the more air will be admitted through the filter 57 and grid 58. Such a condition is desirable because this occurs when the vacuum is lowest and the carburetion richest. The func¬ tion of the ball 36 between the inner and outer seats 50"' -20- and 52"' under bias of the coil spring 46 is essentially the same as hereinbefore set forth in the description of the embodiment of Fig. 3. Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity,. it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to with¬ out departing from the scope of the invention. fU _ O

Claims: -21- What is claimed is: 1. A fuel saving device adapted to be used with an internal combustion engine of the type that includes a carburetor, or fuel injection system, said device including a hollow casing,having an opening at one end thereof to communicate the interior of said casing with a vacuum force established through the carburetor or fuel injection system; a port extending through a side wall of the casing intermediate its ends; a valve means including a ball and a valve seat that communicates the port with the interior of the casing, the ball being adapted to engage the seat to sub¬ stantially seal the interior of the casing from the port; spring means biased against said ball to im¬ part a force of a predetermined magnitude to said ball for urging it out of engagement with said valve seat to admit outside air through the port into the casing interior when the vacuum developed at the carburetor applies a force to the ball that is less than the force applied to said ball by the spring means; and adjustment means extending through a side wall of the casing intermediate the ends of said casing, said adjust¬ ment means adjusting the spring means to permit variation of the spring force imparted to the ball. - U EA U OMPI -22- 2. The fuel saving device of claim 1 wherein the hollow casing has an opening at its opposite end that is adapted to communicate with the positiv crankcase ventilation line. " 3. The fuel saving device of claim 2 wherein the adjustment means is rotatable. 4. The fuel saving device of claim 2 wherein the adjustment means is removably received within an opening through the side wall of the casing, said opening communicating the exterior of the casing with the interior of said casing, whereby said adjustment means can be removed to provide a passageway through which materials can be added to the positive crankcase ventilation line. 5. The fuel saving device of claim 1 wherein the ball is adapted to be rotatable. 6. The fuel saving device of claim 4 wherein said opening for removably receiving the adjustment means is aligned with the port, said opening and port being positioned intermediate the opposed ends of the casing. 7. The fuel saving device of claim 6 wherein the ball valve, spring means and adjustment means are retained within a generally cylindrical chamber. -23- 8. The fuel saving device of claim 7 wherein the interior of the casing on each side of said chamber includes a reservoir for receiving waste gases that pass through the positive crankcase ventilation line, said substantially cylindrical chamber having openings ex¬ tending through walls thereof to communicate the chamber with the reservoir. 9. The fuel saving device of claim 8 including interior baffle means in at least one of said reservoirs for causing a deviation in the flow of waste gases to increase the resident time of said waste gases in said reservoir. 10. The fuel saving device of claim 9 wherein said baffle means is joined to the interior walls of the reservoir, the said baffle means comprising a plurality of baffles. 11. The fuel saving device of claim 10 wherein at least some of said baffles are located serially along said reservoir. 12. The fuel saving device of claim 11 wherein adjacent baffles have openings that are axially offset relative to each other to establish non-axial flow of waste gases through said reservoir. -24- 13. The fuel saving device of claim 8 including a series of baffles in both of said reser¬ voirs for intercepting the flow of waste gases passing throu the reservoirs from the positive crankcase ventilation lines said baffles causing a deviation in the flow of said gases to increase the residence time of said gases in the reservoir 14. The fuel saving device of claim 13 wherein said baffles are joined to the interior wall of the reservoirs. 15. The fuel saving device of claim 14 wherein a plurality of said baffles are located serially along each reservoir. 16. The fuel saving device of claim 15 wherein adjacent baffles within a reservoir have . openings that are axially offset relative to each other to establish non-axial flow of waste gases through the reser¬ voir. 17. The fuel saving device of claim 1- wherein th adjustment means comprise a bimetallic element. 18. The fuel saving device of claim 17 wherein the adjustment means comprises an inwardly facing recess and wherein a portion of the spring means is seated within the recess. 19. The fuel saving device of claim 18 wherein the bimetallic element is positioned within the recess. "BU OM -25- 20. The fuel saving device of claim 19 wherein the bimetallic element is positoned etween the bottom of the recess and one end of the ' spring means. 21. The fuel saving device of claim 1 wherein the valve means comprises an extension end radially extending from the ball. 22. The fuel saving device of claim 21 wherein the extension end is non-circular in cross sectional con¬ figuration. 23. The fuel saving device of claim 21 wherein the extension end is fluted in cross sectional configuration. 24. The fuel saving device of claim 1 wherein the valve means comprises a pair of diametrically opposed, fluted ends extending from the ball. 25. The fuel saving device of claim 21 wherein the extension end extends exteriorly of the gas saving de¬ vice to permit visual observation of the position of the ball relative to the valve seat. 26. The fuel saving device of claim 1 wherein the valve means comprises a chamber of non-circular cross section.

Inventors: ALMQUIST E
Applicants: ALMQUIST E
Application year: 1979
Main classification: F02M25
IPC codes: F01M13, F02B77, F02M23, F02M25