Patent ID: 7644705

Claim:
A method to generate and deliver a homogeneous charge with a variable fuel to air ratio to an internal combustion engine comprising: communicating a source of combustion air to a heating plenum; heating said combustion air in said heating plenum using the engine's circulating coolant passing through radiant and heat conductive core(s); communicating the resulting heated combustion air to an air dividing region; dividing said heated combustion air into two parts, a first part which communicates, via a passageway, with a primary mixing region where a fuel-impregnated, air-permeable evaporative wick membrane or array of evaporative wick elements, which is disposed to receive passage of the air, enriches such impinging air with a molecular vapor of fuel, and a second part which communicates via a bypass duct to a secondary mixing region where it is re-combined with said first part of the heated combustion air; controlling the fuel to air ratio of the resulting combustible mixture using a single moving control element which is able to deflect more or less of each said first and second parts of air into the secondary mixing region; communicating the charge thus formed in the secondary mixing region to a throttle; regulating the flow of the mixed charge formed using said throttle; communicating the charge, after it has passed through the throttle, to an intake manifold or combustion chamber of the engine.