Acf Industries, Incorporated

Allen W Lindberg

Thomas R Gantzert

Donald L Hicks

Apparatus for controlling the air-fuel ratio in an internal combustion engine to substantially maintain the ratio at a predetermined value while the engine is operating under various load conditions. The engine has a carburetor with an air passageway through which air is drawn into the engine. Fuel is supplied to the carburetor through a fuel system and mixed with air passing through the carburetor. The presence of oxygen in the combustion products, which is a function of the air-fuel ratio of the mixture, is sensed and a first electrical signal representative of the oxygen content is supplied. The first electrical signal is compared with a predetermined reference level which is a function of the predetermined value to produce a second electrical signal having first and second signal elements, a first signal element being produced when the air-fuel ratio of the mixture is greater than the predetermined level and a second signal element being produced when the ratio is less than the level. A control responsive to the second electrical signal supplies to an air metering unit a control signal by which the quantity of air introduced into the fuel system is controlled. A change in the control signal is produced whenever the second electrical signal has a transition from one signal element to the other thereby for the air metering unit to change the quantity of air introduced into the fuel system conduit by an amount necessary to substantially maintain the air-fuel ratio at the predetermined value.

Apparatus for controlling the air-fuel ratio in an internal combustion

Solenoid apparatus. First and second electrical windings are supplied current and the current flow through each of the windings induces respective magnetic fields the strengths of which are functions of the average current flow therethrough and the magnetic fields combine to produce a net magnetic field. An armature is movable in either of two directions between a first position and a second position through a predetermined number of discrete intermediate positions. The armature is biased toward one of the intermediate positions constituting a reference position and the position of the armature at any one time is determined by the strength of the net magnetic field and a biasing force on the armature. A current source supplies current to the windings and the current source is controllable to vary the average current flow in each winding to produce movement of the armature from one position to another. The average current flow in each winding is variable between a minimum and a maximum value in steps and the predetermined number of intermediate positions to which the armature is movable corresponds to the number of these steps.

Solenoid apparatus

Apparatus for metering the quantity of air supplied to at least one fuel system in a carburetor for an internal combustion engine. The carburetor has at least one air passageway therein through which air is drawn into the engine. Fuel is supplied to the carburetor through the fuel system and mixed with air as it passes through the carburetor and the carburetor has a conduit through which air is introduced into the fuel system. The apparatus comprises a chamber having an air inlet in communication with the air passageway of the carburetor and a plurality of air outlets in communication with the conduit. An electrically operated valve selectively opens and closes each air outlet and electrical current is selectively supplied to each valve whereby one or more of the air outlets may be opened thereby to supply air from the passageway to the conduit and to control the quantity of air flowing to the fuel system.

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Kirkwood, MO, United States of America

Allen W Lindberg