The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 17, 1982
Filed:
Nov. 15, 1979
William D Little, Dallas, TX (US);
Other;
Abstract
A heater assembly including an electronic control circuit for preheating fuel prior to carburetion in an internal combustion engine is disclosed. Fuel entering the carburetor is heated and maintained at an elevated temperature in a preferred range of about 110.degree. F. to 140.degree. F. by an electrically energized, resistance heating element. The preheater includes a coil of copper tubing through which the fuel is conducted and which is wound about the resistance heating element for indirect heat transfer to the moving mass of fuel. A sensor is interposed in the fuel line downstream of the coiled section and includes a housing in which a temperature probe is received and in which preheated fuel is accumulated prior to being discharged into the carburetor. The resistance heating element is thermally coupled to the sensor housing whereby heat is transferred indirectly to the fuel through the spiral delivery line segment and then through the walls of the sensor housing to the enclosed fuel. According to a preferred embodiment, the volume of the sensor housing chamber is substantially greater than the volume of the spiral delivery line segment, and the mass of the sensor housing is substantially greater than the mass of the spiral delivery line segment. The resistance heating element is energized when the temperature of the fuel in the sensor housing falls below a predetermined threshold temperature, and is de-energized when the fuel temperature rises above the threshold level. This threshold level is detected by comparing an analog temperature signal with a reference signal in a voltage comparator.