Patent Publication Number: US-11649749-B2

Title: Air inlet device for an oil system in an internal combustion engine

Description:
The present application is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/534,303, filed on Aug. 7, 2019, which is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/716,126, filed on Aug. 8, 2018, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to an apparatus connected to an oil system for an internal combustion engine. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Almost all cars and trucks currently use what is called a four-stroke combustion cycle (the Otto cycle) to convert gasoline into motion. The four strokes consist of an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a combustion stroke, and an exhaust stroke. The present invention is focused on the combustion stroke and permits an additional amount of unforced fresh air through the valves into the combustion chamber in an engine at the moment that the spark plug ignites the gasoline in the chamber to increase the overall efficiency and extent of the combustion in the engine. 
     In a four-stroke engine, the piston starts at the top of the engine block. When the intake valve opens during the intake stroke, the piston moves down to allow air and gasoline into the cylinder. During the compression stroke, the piston moves back up, thereby compressing the gasoline and air into a more efficient and powerful fuel/air mixture. When the piston reaches the top of its stroke, the spark plug emits a spark that ignites the fuel/air mixture and creates an explosion that forces the piston down (the combustion stroke). Once the piston reaches the bottom of its cycle, the exhaust valve opens and vents the cylinder of the combustion residue (the exhaust stroke). The precise fuel/air mixture during the combustion cycle affects the efficiency of the engine, which in turn affects the gas mileage of the vehicle. Increasing the efficiency of an engine is highly desirable, because it reduces the cost to operate the engine and results in fewer harmful emissions from the engine during operation. An engine that more efficiently burns its fuel will emit fewer harmful byproducts and will use less fuel during operation. 
     While typically found in automobiles and trucks, internal combustion engines are also used in other types of applications, such as to power boats, tractors, lawn mowers, powered garden tools, and generators, among others. 
     Thus, there exists a need for accessories that can be used in conventional vehicles and devices with internal combustion engines to improve their efficiency and performance. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention allows additional fresh air to enter into the combustion cycle through the oil system, thereby adjusting the fuel/air mixture during in the combustion stroke to create a more efficient use of the fuel (which also raises the effective gas mileage of the vehicle). The present invention is comprised of a device that attaches to the oil filler port found on most internal combustion engines. In most vehicles, there is an oil filler port located near the top of the engine that allows an individual to put oil in the engine. This oil filler port is normally sealed by an oil cap. 
     The device contains an air intake port, which allows fresh air to passively enter into the engine oil system without the need for additional electronics or dynamic components, a section of tubing, which forms a condensation chamber and allows air into the oil system without allowing appreciable amounts of engine oil to leave the oil system, and a mechanism to connect the device to the oil system via the oil filler port once the oil cap has been removed. The device is small enough to be mounted on the oil filler port without requiring additional modifications of the engine or vehicle. 
     An apparatus for improving the efficiency of an engine, comprising: a tubular chamber comprised of a first end and a second end, said first and second ends being at opposite ends of the tubular chamber, a plurality of tubular angular sections connecting the first end and the second end, and a plurality of baffles connected to the inside of the tubular chamber; an air inlet at the first end of the tubular chamber; and an air outlet at the second end of the tubular chamber. 
     A system for improving the efficiency of an engine, comprising: an engine with an oil system, an oil filler port connected to the oil system, and an apparatus comprised of a tubular chamber comprised of a first end and a second end, said first and second ends being at opposite ends of the tubular chamber, a plurality of tubular angular sections connecting the first end and the second end, and a plurality of baffles connected to the inside of the tubular chamber; an air inlet at the first end of the tubular chamber; and an air outlet at the second end of the tubular chamber, wherein the air outlet is connected to the oil filler port. 
     A method for improving the efficiency of an engine, comprising: removing an oil cap from an oil filler port of an oil system in an engine, inserting an apparatus comprised of a tubular chamber comprised of a first end and a second end, said first and second ends being at opposite ends of the tubular chamber, a plurality of tubular angular sections connecting the first end and the second end, and a plurality of baffles connected to the inside of the tubular chamber; an air inlet at the first end of the tubular chamber; and an air outlet at the second end of the tubular chamber, by connecting the air outlet to the oil filler port. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of the underside of one embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a cross-sectional side view of one embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    is a cross-sectional side view of one embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional side view of one embodiment. 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view of an engine with an oil cap inserted into an oil filler port. 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective view of the topside of one embodiment inserted into an oil filler port. 
         FIG.  7    is an exploded view of one embodiment in relation to an engine and oil filler port. 
         FIG.  8    is a cross-section side view of one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in the various embodiments shown in  FIGS.  1 - 4   , device  10  is comprised of a folded tubular chamber  12 , an air inlet  14  at one end of tubular chamber  12 , and an air outlet  18  at the opposite end of tubular chamber  12 . As shown in  FIG.  6   , device  10  is attached to oil filler port  28  on a typical internal combustion engine  24  by removing the standard oil cap  26  (shown in  FIG.  5   ) and inserting the air outlet  18  end of device  10  into oil filler port  28 . The precise connection between device  10  and oil filler port  28  will vary depending on the precise design and form of oil filler port  28 . In some embodiments, a rubber gasket  20  at the air outlet  18  end of device  10  fits into oil filler port  28 , but other mechanisms, such as a rubberized sleeve  19  around air outlet  18 , a tapered air outlet  18 , or a threads  21  on the outside of air outlet  18  that match the threads of oil filler port  28 , among others, could be used and fall within the scope of the invention. 
     In one embodiment, folded tubular chamber  12  is comprised of a 1″ diameter rigid plastic tube, such as a standard PVC pipe, but it can be made from other rigid materials that can withstand the environmental conditions under the hood of a vehicle, such as metal, composites, ceramics, or other plastic materials. As shown in  FIG.  1   , folded tube  12  is comprised of different angular sections of PVC pipe that have been cut and glued together to form the general shape of the letter “Z” with vertical protrusions near the inlet and outlet sections. The overall dimension of one embodiment of device  10  is approximately 3″ high×3″ wide×1″ deep. Other shapes and sizes of tubing could be used and fall within the scope of the invention. For instance, a larger or smaller diameter tube could be used, the tubing could have a cross-section that is round, oval, rectangular, or another shape, or the folded tube could be in the form of a horizontal “V” or have additional vertexes or shapes (such as a stretched, curved “S” shape). In another embodiment, the apparatus could be angled rather than being in the vertical orientation perpendicular to the surface of the engine when installed (as shown in  FIG.  6   ), or the tubes could be split into multiple tubes that extend at angles to either side of the vertical. Moreover, the overall size of device  10  can vary to accommodate its placement on the engine. 
     Once oil cap  26  has been removed from the engine to allow additional air into the engine, there exists a pathway for oil to escape from the engine through oil filler port  28  and device  10 . It is desirable that the oil within the oil system in the engine remains in the engine and does not escape through device  10 , however. In order to minimize the risk and extent of oil escaping, various features have been added to device  10  to block or reduce the flow of oil out of oil filler port  28  and to cause oil to collect on internal features within device  10  and drip back into the engine. These same systems that reduce the amount of oil exiting the engine can also reduce the amount of contaminants (such as dust, dirt, and debris) that enter into air inlet  14 . 
     For instance as shown in  FIGS.  2  and  4   , an air inlet cover  16  partially blocks air inlet  14  to still allow air into device  10  and engine  24 , but minimizes the pathway for oil to escape or contaminants to enter. In one embodiment shown in  FIGS.  2  and  6   , inlet cover  16  is a partially truncated plastic disc that covers approximately 60% of air inlet  14 . Inlet cover  16  can be formed in other shapes (e.g., a circular ring, grid, or other shapes) and can cover different percentages of air inlet  14  (either greater or less than 60%) and still fall within the scope of the invention. In addition, inlet cover  16  can be made from other materials, such as metal, composite, ceramic, or other plastics, or could be integral with air inlet  14  and fall within the scope of the invention. As shown in  FIG.  3   , device  10  will also function without inlet cover  16 . Alternatively, or in addition to a solid inlet cover, inlet cover  16  could be formed from a mesh or screen that either totally or partially covers air inlet  14  or covers the exposed portion of air inlet  14  in the case where there is also a solid inlet cover  16 . Such a screen could be made from wire, metal, fabric, or plastic, among other things, and could be made from various different mesh sizes. 
     In addition and as shown in  FIGS.  3  and  4   , internal baffles  22  can be placed inside tube  12  such that tube  12  acts as a condensation or collection chamber in addition to allowing air to flow through it. These baffles  22  act to alter the fluid flow through tube  12  by redirecting the fluid (either gas or liquid) inside tube  12 . Baffles  22  provide a surface on which oil droplets or vapor can collect or condense and then drip back down into engine  24  via outlet  18 . Preferably, baffles  22  are oriented in such a fashion that they do not locally trap oil in pockets or voids near the baffles. Instead, any oil that drips off of baffles  22  has a path back to outlet  18  and engine  24  through tube  12 . Various shapes and locations of representative baffles  22  can be used. For instance, baffles  22  can be semi-circular disks ( FIG.  3   ), umbrella-like extensions ( FIG.  4   ), spheres, oblong spheroids, or crescent shaped, among other things. Baffles  22  can also have cut-outs or holes within them to better allow the flow of oil back to the engine. While  FIGS.  3  and  4    show representative examples of some of the baffles  22  in particular locations and orientations, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the baffles can be placed in other locations and in other orientations and fall within the scope of the invention. Similarly, other shapes, sizes, and numbers of baffles (including a single baffle) can be used and fall within the scope of the invention. Baffles  22  can be made from a variety of materials, such as plastics, metal, composites, or ceramics, among other things. Baffles  22  can be formed as an integral part of tube  12  or can be attached to tube  12  by various means (such as epoxy, glue, welds, rivets, nuts/bolts, etc.). The size of the baffles is such that there is still an overall clearance within tube  12  of approximately 0.25-0.375″, although other clearances (either greater or less) would still fall within the scope of the invention. 
     While preferred, neither inlet cover  16  nor baffles  22  are required for the invention to operate. In addition, only one of inlet cover  16  or baffles  22  could be used and fall within the scope of the invention. For example,  FIG.  2    shows an embodiment with an inlet cover  16 , but no baffles  22 .  FIG.  3    shows an embodiment with no inlet cover  16 , but with baffles  22 . 
     In one embodiment shown in  FIG.  2   , there is a lip  17  at the end of air outlet  18 . Above lip  17  is rubber gasket  20 . Lip  17  helps to contain gasket  20  on air outlet  18  during insertion or removal of device  10  from oil filler port  28  and thereby prevent gasket  20  from falling into or becoming stuck inside oil filler port  28 . Gasket  20  can be made of a resilient material such as rubber or another pliable material that can form a seal between air outlet  18  and oil filler port  28 . Air outlet  18  can be inserted into oil filler port  28  by hand, and gasket  20  provides enough frictional connection such that device  10  remains connected to oil filler port  28  during normal operation of the vehicle. 
     In another embodiment shown in  FIG.  3   , the outer portion of the air outlet  18  end of tubular chamber  12  is threaded with threads  21  that match the internal threads in the opening in oil filler port  28 . Air outlet  18  can be inserted into oil filler port  28  by rotating device  10  until the device is securely connected to the engine. 
     In yet another embodiment shown in  FIG.  4   , the outer portion of the air outlet  18  end of tubular chamber  22  is covered in a resilient material  19  and tapered to match the diameter of the opening in oil filler port  28 . Air outlet  18  can be inserted into oil filler port  28  by hand, and the resilient material covering on air outlet  18  provides enough frictional connection such that device  10  remains connected to oil filler port  28  during normal operation of the vehicle. Instead of being tapered, the air outlet  18  end of tubular chamber  22  may also be of uniform diameter and covered with resilient material  19 . 
     In still another embodiment shown in  FIG.  8   , butterfly valve  30  is placed inside tubular chamber  12  near air outlet  18  and connected to control  32 , which is coupled to sensor  34  (such as a tilt-sensor) to detect when the engine or device  10  is inclined at a large triggering angle (e.g., greater than approximately 33° on any axis relative to its standard horizontal position), in order to prevent oil from leaking out of the oil system through device  10  due to gravity. When sensor  34  detects that the engine is inclined at such a large angle, control  32  closes valve  30 , thereby closing off tubular chamber  12  and preventing oil from escaping the system due to gravity. When sensor  34  detects that the engine is no longer inclined at such a large angle, control  32  reopens valve  30 . Control  32  contains additional components necessary to detect the orientation of device  10  and actuate valve  30 , such as a microprocessor, circuitry, motors, solenoids, actuators, etc., in addition to electrical leads  36  that connect to the electrical system of the vehicle or device to provide power to the various components. Sensor  34  can also contain a power sensor that detects when the engine is off, and control  32  can be programmed to close valve  30  when sensor  34  detects that the engine is off, thereby preventing contaminants from entering the oil system when the engine is not being used. 
     One of skill in the art would recognize that various different types of valves (such as butterfly, gate, plug, ball, etc.), controls (microprocessor, circuitry, motors, solenoids, actuators, etc.), sensors (such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, inclinometers, magnetic, etc.), triggering angles (such as between 15°-45°, etc.), and power sources (such as a battery) could be used with this embodiment that fall within the scope of the invention. In addition, valve  30  can be located at different positions within tubular chamber  12 , such as in the middle or towards air inlet  14 . In this embodiment, tubular chamber  12  is made from stainless steel and coated with a silicon solution to avoid corrosion and to provide better support for valve  30 , although this embodiment could be made from different materials and still fall within the scope of the invention. While this embodiment is particularly useful for marine applications when engines can be subjected to a large range of motion, it is also useful in other applications when engines may be inclined at large angles—such as with cars parked on steep hills, lawn mowers used on steep gradients, and powered lawn tools that are swung through large angles, among others. 
     In all of these embodiments, the connection point with oil filler port  28  is such that device  10  will remain attached to the engine during normal operations and will also form a sufficient seal that oil will not escape from the engine at the oil filler port  28 -air outlet  18  connection point. In any of these embodiments, device  10  can be rotated so that device  10  is in the orientation desired by the user, which may depend on factors such as the location of other components in the engine and obstructions they may cause, clearance with the hood, or ascetic preferences, among other things. One of skill in the art would recognize that the diameter and threads of air outlet  18  may vary in order to accommodate the precise size and threading of oil filler ports found in different engines and fall within the scope of the invention. 
     One embodiment of the invention has been tested on three vehicles: a 1985 Chevrolet Silverado, 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue, and a 2006 Kia Sportage. Initial testing has revealed that the present invention has increased the effective gas mileage of a vehicle by 15-33% under typical road conditions. While initially intended to be used with internal combustion engines found in vehicles, the present invention can also be used with other types of internal combustion engines, such as those found in boats, generators, portable tools and devices, lawn mowers, and pumps, among other things. 
     Device  10  can form a system with internal combustion engine  24  that increases the fuel efficiency and performance of engine  24 . Such a system comprises the standard components of the engine, including its oil system, which includes oil filler port  28 , except that oil cap  26  is removed from oil filler port  28  and replaced with device  10  by inserting air outlet  18  into oil filler port  28 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  5 - 7   , in order to install one embodiment of device  10  in a vehicle, the user accesses engine  24  (such as by opening the hood of the vehicle). Next, the user removes the standard oil cap  26  shown in  FIG.  5    from oil filler port  28  in the oil system of engine  24  (such as by rotating it and lifting it off of oil filler port  28 ). Finally, as shown in  FIGS.  6  and  7   , the user attaches device  10  to oil filler port  28  in engine  24  (such as by inserting or rotating/threading air outlet  18  into oil filler port  28 ) until device  10  is securely attached to oil filler port  28  and engine  24 . 
     The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The descriptions were selected to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Although particular constructions of the present invention have been shown and described, other alternative constructions will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the intended scope of the present invention. For instance, in the embodiments shown in  FIGS.  1 - 4  and  6 - 8   , various combinations of air inlets  16 , air outlets  18 , and baffles  22  are shown. One of skill in the art would recognize that other combinations of these components (and others described in the specification) can be implemented to form other embodiments.