MOTOR RAPID WARMING DEVICE

• US 3,853,270 A
• Filed: 07/30/1973
• Issued: 12/10/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stanley Prebil
• Original Assignee: Stanley Prebil
• Inventors: Prebil, Stanley
• Primary Examiner(s): Sprague, Kenneth W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tapolcai, Jr., W. E.
• Application Number:
  US05/383,724
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 237/12.3B,44,12.3R,59 123/41R,41.14,41.51
• US Class Current: 237/12.30B
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00492 comprising regenerative heating or cooling means, e.g. heat accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00499 Heat or cold storage without phase change including solid bodies, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2011/205 using heat-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 19/10 by heating of engine coolants

Abstract

A motor rapid warming device for use in vehicles having a fluid cooling system consisting of a unitarily formed thermally insulated coolant storage tank interposed in the cooling system between the coolant pump and a hot-coolant heater for the vehicle passenger compartment, the tank adapted to store a volume of fluid coolant approximately equal to the capacity of the vehicle cooling system and maintain the same hot in the tank after the engine is stopped for an extended period of time, and control means associated with the tank to automatically close the inlet and outlet ports of the tank upon stoppage of the motor in a manner to retain the hot motor coolant therein, the control means automatically opening the inlet and outlet tank ports upon the starting of the motor such that the supply of hot coolant is automatically delivered to the heater and to the motor when the motor is started.

Claims

1. Motor rapid warming device for use in vehicles having a motor, a vacuum source operable when the motor is running, a coolant pump operably driven by the motor, a coolant heated heater for supplying heat to the vehicle passenger compartment, coolant passages throughout the motor block of the motor for cooling the same, a fluid cooling system interconnecting the passageways in the motor block to the coolant pump and heater for delivering motor coolant to the heater and motor, the motor rapid warming device comprising:

a unitarily formed thermally insulated coolant storage tank for holding a supply of hot motor coolant therein and for maintaining the coolant therein at a relatively high temperature for an extended period of time when the motor is not running, the storage tank having a volume at least equal in capacity to the capacity of the coolant system of the motor;

the storage tank having a flat front vertical wall, a flat bottom horizontal wall, a pair of opposed parallel spaced apart flat vertical side walls, a flat back wall affixed along its bottom edge to the bottom wall and tapering upward and outwardly therefrom at an angle thereto and terminating at a position less than the vertical height of the front wall and spaced rearwardly therefrom, and a flat top wall extending from a top edge of the front wall in a downward slanted manner therefrom to be joined to the back wall;

a coolant containing chamber defined interiorly of the tank walls for holding the motor coolant therein;

an outlet port formed in the top portion of the front wall of the tank in communication with the interior chamber thereof;

an inlet port formed in the bottom portion of the front wall in communication with the chamber interiorly thereof;

a vacuum operated inlet valve connected to the inlet port;

a vacuum operated outlet valve connected to the outlet port;

suitable lengths of tubing connecting the storage tank in fluid series communication with the motor cooling system, the inlet valve adapted to be connected to the coolant pump of the motor, the outlet valve adapted to be connected to the heater of the vehicle with the hot coolant in the storage tank thus being firstly delivered to the heater and thence to the motor passageways when the motor is started; and

the running of the motor applying a vacuum to each of the vacuum operated inlet and outlet valves to maintain the valves in an open position, the shutting-off of the motor effecting discontinuance of the vacuum source to the valves thus effecting the automatic closing of the valves upon the stopping of the motor in a manner to trap a quantity of hot motor coolant in the storage tank, the re-starting of the motor effecting the automatic opening of the vacuum valves to provide the hot motor coolant from the storage tank to the heater and motor block passageways promptly upon the starting of the motor so as to provide heat to the passenger compartment of the vehicle along with assisting in raising the operating temperature of motor lubricants to desired temperatures for proper functioning and lubrication thereby.