Abstract:
A hydraulic air-intake governor for connecting to a rear part of a throttle valve in an engine system of a car is provided. Air is guided into a container of the air-intake governor to pass through and be cooled by water filled in the container. Horizontal partitions with holes are provided in the container to define two spaces in which two buoys are separately disposed to float on water. The buoys could close some of the holes on the partitions depending on a water level in the container to control a fixed amount of air that is allowed to pass the partitions for supplying to the engine system, so that air supplied to the engine system for mixing with fuel is always controlled at a fixed amount to enable the engine system to generate constant driving power and operate stably, and thereby eliminates single-cylinder effect or knocking that would adversely affect the operation of the engine system.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (a) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a hydraulic air-intake governor for connecting to a rear part of a throttle valve in an engine system of a car in order to regulate the supply of air to the engine system for mixing with fuel in the engine. 
     (b) Description of the Prior Art 
     In most general engine systems, fuel and air are mixed to provide fuel air mixture that is ignited to produce gas explosion in the engine, so that a pressure produced by the gas explosion pushes a piston in the engine to generate a driving power. 
     To maintain a predetermined gas explosive pressure, it is necessary to effectively control the amount of air and fuel guided into the above described engine system. An exceeded air intake while the engine is not in a vacuum state will result in serious single-cylinder effect to cause vibrating car body and unstable engine revolving speed that would have adverse influence on the smooth operation of the engine, particularly when the engine is first started. 
     It is therefore desirable to develop a means to eliminate the drawbacks existing in the conventional engine systems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic air-intake governor that can be externally connected to the engine system by installing the air-intake governor in the trunk of the car, for example, without occupying any space in the engine system, and that is capable of straining air and regulating air amount that can be supplied to and sucked into the engine. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a hydraulic air-intake governor that is indirectly connected to a rear part of a throttle valve of the engine system. 
     The hydraulic air-intake governor mainly includes a container being provided at a head portion with a capped water hole via which water is filled into the container for the same to always maintain a predetermined amount of water therein, an air inlet pipe for guiding external air to a bottom portion of the container, and an air outlet pipe for guiding air moved from the bottom portion to the head portion of the container to move out of the container. 
     Multiple vertical supports support three horizontal steel partitions in the container, namely, upper, middle, and lower steel partitions. The partitions being provided with holes via which air guided to the bottom portion of the container moves upward to the head portion. 
     Two buoys having a specific gravity close to that of water separately float on the water in the container between the upper and the middle steel partitions and between the middle and the lower steel partitions. The buoys have a bottom surface of a predetermined area large enough for closing some of the holes on the middle and the lower steel partitions. 
     A water level gage is connected to and vertically extends in parallel with the container for observation of a water level in the container at any time in order to timely replenish the container with water. 
     A vapor/air separator is connected to the air outlet pipe extended from the container for sucking vapor and extra air out of the container. 
     An air-supply regulator is connected downstream to the vapor/air separator with an end thereof indirectly connected to an output end of the vapor/air separator and the other end to an input end of an engine in the engine system. The air-supply regulator includes a substantially tubular body, an air-intake branch pipe provided at a lower end of the tubular body with a beveled upper end extended into the tubular body, an air-exit branch pipe connected to an upper end of the tubular body with a flat lower end thereof extended into the tubular body, and a ball disposed in the tubular body between the beveled upper end of the air-intake branch pipe and the flat lower end of the air-exit branch pipe. Whereby when the engine sucks a large volume of air, the ball is sucked upward to loosely block the flat lower end of the air-exit branch pipe and therefore reduces air supplied to the engine via the air-exit branch pipe; and when the engine sucks a small volume of air, the ball drops to locate above the air-intake branch pipe without blocking the beveled upper end of the air-intake branch pipe to cause any decrease of air flowing into the air-supply regulator via the air-intake branch pipe. 
     When air is guided to a lower part of the container, which is in a vacuum state, and moves upward to pass through the water in the container, the air is strained and cooled to have a compressed and increased density. The cooled and high-density air will reduce air temperature in the engine for the same to generate increased horsepower. 
     The buoys selectively close some of the holes provided on the middle and the lower partitions depending on the water level in the container and accordingly control passages in the container available for the air to move upward, so that air that can be supplied to the engine is always maintained at a fixed amount. Since the engine can always have a fixed air amount supplied to it by externally connecting the hydraulic air-intake governor to it, the problems of single-cylinder effect, vibrating car body and unstable revolving speed of engine that would otherwise occur in the conventional engine when the same has exceeded air intake could therefore be eliminated. On the other hand, drawbacks such as air pollution caused by exhaust gas and knocking caused by internally carbon-deposited engine due to insufficient air intake and accordingly incomplete combustion could therefore be eliminated. By observing the water level gage, insufficient water amount in the container can be found earlier to timely replenish the container with water and maintain the normal operation thereof. 
     Moreover, the hydraulic air-intake governor of the present invention can be indirectly connected to a negative-pressure-intake branch pipe at the rear part of the throttle valve to supplement insufficient air originally supplied to the engine via an engine positive-pressure-intake pipe. 
     With the air-supply regulator, the ball disposed therein would be sucked upward to block the air supplied to the engine from the present invention when the engine has a large air intake, and the ball would drop to admit air supply to the engine from the present invention when the engine has an insufficient air intake. Therefore, gas explosion in the engine due to exceeded air intake of the engine can be avoided. 
     The hydraulic air-intake governor of the present invention could be mounted in the trunk of a car through extended connecting hose and would not occupy any space in the original engine system. Air guided to the engine from the hydraulic air-intake governor mounted in the trunk would not be contaminated by exhaust gas and dust to secure the supply of quality air to the engine. 
     The hydraulic air-intake governor of the present invention can be externally connected to all types of existing engine systems at any time and is therefore not necessary to present in the form of a standard equipment in a new car. Since the present invention employs only a simple water container to control and regulate the amount of air supplied to the engine, it can be manufactured at low cost while produces high economical effect. 
     The water level gage has a lower end that extends into said container and has an upward extended water inlet pipe connected thereto, so that water in the container would not be completely sucked into the water level gage for the container to keep a desired minimum water level and a compressed vacuum state therein. 
     The vapor/air separator has a storage cylinder connected thereto for storing vapor and extra air supplied by the container. In the event the engine has insufficient air intake, air stored in the storage cylinder can be duly supplied to the engine in order to increase the revolving speed of the engine. The storage cylinder also prevents improperly large amount of air from entering the engine chamber to avoid extreme explosion or burning in the engine and unnecessary waste and high consumption of fuel. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein 
     FIG. 1A is a perspective of the hydraulic air-intake governor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 1B is a partially cutaway perspective of the hydraulic air-intake governor of FIG. 1A to show an internal structure thereof; 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are sectional views of the hydraulic air-intake governor of FIG. 1 showing the internal structure thereof; 
     FIG. 3A is a sectional view of the hydraulic air-intake governor of FIG. 1 with a water level therein exceeded a middle steel partition thereof to float a first buoy therein; 
     FIG. 3B is a partially cutaway perspective corresponding to FIG. 3A; 
     FIG. 4A is similar to FIG. 3A but the water level in the hydraulic air-intake governor is not high enough to float the first buoy; 
     FIG. 4B is a partially cutaway perspective corresponding to FIG. 4A; 
     FIG. 5A is similar to FIG. 3A but the water level in the hydraulic air-intake governor is below the middle steel partition and above the lower steel partition and is not high enough to float the first buoy and a second buoy; 
     FIG. 5B is a partially cutaway perspective corresponding to FIG. 5A; and 
     FIG. 6 exemplifies the installation of the preferred embodiment of the hydraulic air-intake governor of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to FIGS. 1A to  2 B in which a hydraulic air-intake governor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The hydraulic air-intake governor mainly includes a vertical cylindrical container  10  having a water hole provided at a head portion thereof for filling water into the container  10 . The water hole is covered with a cap  30 . As can be more clearly seen from FIG. 1B, several supports  14  are provided inside the container  10  to support an upper steel partition  11  having a plurality of holes  111 , a middle steel partition  12  having two holes  121 , and a lower steel partition  13  having a hole  131 . The supports  14  also defines a first and a second vertical space S 1 , S 2  between the upper and the middle steel partitions  11  and  12  and the middle and the lower steel partitions  12  and  13 , respectively. A first buoy  15  is disposed in the first vertical space S 1  between the upper and the middle steel partitions  11 ,  12  and has a bottom surface of a predetermined area large enough to close some of the holes  121  on the middle steel partition  12 . A second buoy  16  is disposed in the second space vertical space S 2  between the middle and the lower steel partitions  12 ,  13  and has a bottom surface of a predetermined area large enough to close some of the holes  131  on the lower steel partition  13 . The first and the second buoys  15 ,  16  have a specific gravity very close to that of water so that they can freely float in water at any position in the vertical spaces S 1 , S 2  defined by the supports  14 . 
     The container  10  is provided at one side of its head portion with a first connector A, of which an outer end is connected to an air inlet pipe B and an inner end to a downward extended first guide tube  17  that has a lower open end a little above a bottom of the container  10 . Air outside the container  10  is supplied into the container  10  via the inlet pipe B and the lower open end of the first guide pipe  17 . A water level gage F in the form of a pipe is provided on an outer wall surface of the container  10  at one side generally opposite to the air inlet pipe B, such that the water level gage F extends vertically in parallel with the outer wall of the container  10 . A second connector E is connected at one end to an upper end of the water level gage F with another end extending into the container  10 . A third connector G is connected at one end to a lower end of the water level gage F with another end extending into the container  10  to connect to an upward extended water inlet pipe G 1 . The upward extended water inlet pipe G 1  connected to the third connector G prevents water  20  inside the container  10  from being completely sucked into the water level gage F when a water level in the container  10  drops close to the bottom of the container  10 , so that the container  10  always maintains a vacuum state and a suitable minimum water level. 
     The third connector G includes a middle section G 2  that has a reduced inner diameter and is therefore internally narrower than other parts of the third connector G in front of and behind it. This reduced inner diameter of the third connector G restricts air sucked into the third connector G to a limited amount. 
     A fourth connector C is provided on the head portion of the container  10  at one side generally opposite to the air inlet pipe B to receive an end of an air outlet pipe D. The other end of the air outlet pipe D is connected to an end of a vapor/air separator D 1  for sucking vapor and extra air out of the container  10 . The vapor/air separator D 1  may be a common vapor/air separating connector and has two end having diameters larger than that of the air outlet pipe D and a second guide tube D 3  that is connected to the other end of the vapor/air separator D 1 . A storage cylinder D 2  is communicably connected to one side of the vapor/air separator D 1 . Vapor and extra air sucked by the vapor/air separator D 1  from the container  10  is guided into the storage cylinder D 2 . In the event normal air supply to the engine is not sufficient, the air stored in the storage cylinder D 2  can be supplied to the engine to increase the revolving speed thereof. The storage cylinder D 2  also protects the engine from improperly large amount of air intake that will cause extremely explosion or burning in the engine and accordingly unnecessary waste and consumption of fuel. The vapor/air separator D 1  is indirectly connected to a throttle valve I (see FIG. 6) via the above-mentioned second guide pipe D 3 . 
     An air-supply regulator L is connected downstream to the vapor/air separator D 1 , such that an end of the air-supply regulator L is indirectly connected to an output end of the vapor/air separator D 1  and the other end to an input end of the engine. The air-supply regulator L has a substantially tubular body. An air-intake branch pipe L 1  is provided at a lower end of the tubular body with a beveled upper end extended thereinto. An air-exit branch pipe L 2  is connected to an upper end of the tubular body with a flat lower end thereof extended thereinto. A ball L 3  is disposed in the tubular body between the beveled upper end of the air-intake branch pipe L and the flat lower end of the air-exit branch pipe L 2 . When the engine sucks a large volume of air, the ball L 3  is sucked upward to loosely block the flat lower end of the air-exit branch pipe L 2  and therefore reduces air supply to the engine via the air-exit branch pipe L 2 . And when the engine sucks a small volume of air, the ball L 3  drops to locate above the air-intake branch pipe L 1 . However, due to the beveled upper end, the air-intake branch pipe L 1  would not be blocked by the ball L 3  to cause any decrease of airflow into the air-supply regulator L via the air-intake branch pipe L 1 . When the ball L 3  blocks the air-exit branch pipe L 2 , possible gas explosion in the engine due to exceeded air intake can therefore be prevented. 
     FIGS. 3A to  5 B describe in details the manner in which the present invention regulates the air intake of a car engine. Please refer to FIGS. 3A and 3B. When the container  10  of the hydraulic air-intake governor of the present invention is in a vacuum state and has a water level  20  higher than an upper surface of the middle steel partition  12  and sufficient to float the first buoy  15  in the first space S 1 , air guided into the air inlet pipe B flows through the first guide tube  17  and escapes into the container  10  via the lower open end of the guide tube  17 . The air escaped into the container  10  is strained, cooled and compressed to have a higher density when it passes water filled in the container  10 . The strained and cooled air then slowly moves upward to pass through the holes  131  and  121  on the lower and the middle steel partitions  13  and  12 , respectively, and finally arrives at the head portion of the container  10 . When the air moves upward in the container  10 , a part of the water in the container  10  evaporates into vapor that mixes with the cooled air. Since the water level  20  in the container  10  is high enough to float the first and the second buoys  15 ,  16 , holes  121 ,  131  on the middle and the lower steel partitions  12 ,  13  are not blocked by the first and the second buoys  15 ,  16 , allowing a mixture of the vapor and the air to slowly move upward against the water to pass the holes  131 ,  121  and thereby supplies a fixed amount of air and vapor into the head portion of the container  10 . Thereafter, the cooled and amount-controlled mixture of vapor and air flows through the air outlet pipe D into the vapor/air separator D 1 . At this point, a part of the air directly goes to the second guide pipe D 3  for use by a fuel-air mixing system of the car while the vapor and extra cooled air is stored in the storage cylinder D 2  for use later. 
     Please now refer to FIGS. 4A and 4B. When the container  10  has a water level  20  higher than the middle steel partition  12  but not high enough to float the first buoy  15  in the first space S 1 , the first buoy  15  would contact with the middle steel partition  12  with its bottom surface pressing against and closing some of the holes  121  on the middle steel partition  12 . At this point, the volume of the cooled air that can flow through the partitions is reduced. Although the water level  20  in the container  10  is lowered to allow the cooled air to move upward at an increased speed due to a reduced water resistance in the container  10 , air that can be supplied to the head portion of the container  10  is still maintained at the same fixed amount because some of the holes  121  are closed and less cooled air is allowed to pass through the middle steel partition  12 . 
     The container  10  shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B has a water level  20  lower than the middle steel partition  12  but higher than the lower steel partition  13 . However, the water level  20  is not high enough to float both the first and the second buoys  15  and  16  in the first and the second spaces S 1  and S 2 , respectively. At this point, the first and the second buoys  15 ,  16  will contact with the middle and the lower partitions  12  and  13 , respectively, with their bottom surfaces pressing against and closing some of the holes  121  and  131 , respectively, to reduce the amount of the cooled air that passes through the partitions  12 ,  13 . Although the water level  20  in the container  10  is further lowered to produce an even reduced water resistance, air that can be supplied to the head portion of the container  10  is still maintained at the same fixed amount because some of the holes  121  and  131  are closed and less cooled air is allowed to pass through the lower and the middle steel partition  13 ,  12 . 
     With the above-mentioned structure and arrangements of the present invention, the amount of air that can be supplied by the present invention for use by the fuel-air mixing system is always under control to maintain at a fixed amount, no matter how much water there is in the container  10 . This fixed amount of air supply enables the maintenance of a desired degree of gas explosion in the engine to provide stable driving power and thereby improves the drawbacks existing in the prior art. 
     FIG. 6 exemplifies the installation of the above-described hydraulic air-intake governor of the present invention. In the drawing, letter “M” represents the hydraulic air-intake governor of the present invention that may be connected to a negative-pressure-intake branch pipe H forming a rear part of a throttle valve I. The air supplied by the hydraulic air-intake governor M timely meets another flow of air passing through an air filter K and an air meter J and then mixes with fuel to supplement insufficient air intake originally supplied via a positive-pressure-intake pipe to the engine. 
     The following are some of the advantages of the hydraulic air-intake governor of the present invention: 
     1. Air passing through the water  20  in the container  10  is strained, cooled and compressed to have an increased density. The cooled air reduces the air temperature in the engine for the engine to generate enhanced horsepower. 
     2. When the water level  20  in the container  10  lowers due to evaporation of water into vapor and mixing of vapor with air in the container  10 , the air supplied by the hydraulic air intake governor is still maintained at a fixed amount without change. 
     3. The water level gage F provided at one outer side of the container  10  allows observation of water level inside the container  10  at any time, so that timely replenishment of the container  10  with water to maintain normal functioning of the hydraulic air intake governor is possible. 
     4. The vapor/air separator D 1  and the storage cylinder D 2  connected to the container  10  together enable timely supply of air to the engine when the engine has insufficient air intake, so as to increase the revolving speed of the engine. The storage cylinder D 2  also protects the engine from improperly large amount of air intake that will cause extreme gas explosion or burning in the engine and results in unnecessary waste and high consumption of fuel. 
     5. The air-supply regulator L regulates the amount of air being supplied to the engine to prevent gas explosion in the engine due to exceeded suction of air into the engine. 
     6. The hydraulic air intake governor is designed for externally connecting to all types of existing engine systems and can therefore be utilized in a wide range. Moreover, the hydraulic air intake governor has very simple structure and is therefore a highly economical and practical product for use.