Fuel consumption rate indicating system for a vehicle
First Claim
1. In an engine including a power output shaft for connection to drive a vehicle, the engine further including a fuel supply system comprised of at least one cam driven injector, a fuel supply line extending from a fuel supply to the injector, a fuel pump connected in said supply line and pumping supply fuel in said supply line to said injector, said injector operating as a valve and directing a portion of the supply fuel to a burned flow passage for combustion in the engine and directing the remainder of the supply fuel to a return passage, said return passage carrying said remainder of fuel to the fuel supply, the ratio of said portion of said supply fuel to said supply fuel being substantially constant over different engine operating conditions, the improvement comprising first sensing means connected in said supply line and providing a first signal representing the quantity of said supply fuel, second sensing means responsive to turning of said output shaft and providing a second signal representing movement of the vehicle, and circuit means receiving said first and said second signals, processing said signals, and indicating vehicle performance information to the operator of the vehicle related to fuel consumption and vehicle movement, said circuit means including means for dividing one of said first and second signals by the other and providing an indication of the fuel consumption rate.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
This disclosure deals with a system for indicating to the driver of a vehicle a figure which represents the operating efficiency of the vehicle and which is derived from the fuel consumed and the distance traveled by the vehicle. The system measures the speed of the vehicle and a characteristic of the fuel supply system of the engine which is indicative of the fuel consumption. These two factors are combined in a dividing circuit which produces a signal that is fed to an indicator for displaying the figure to the operator of the vehicle. The vehicle engine has a fuel supply system including injectors and a fuel pressure regulating apparatus. The total fuel flowing to the injectors is divided into a burned flow portion and a return flow portion, and the burned flow portion is a relatively fixed ratio of the total flow. The characteristic of the supply system which is sensed is the total flow, and because of the fixed ratio, it is indicative of the fuel consumption rate.
18 Citations
1 Claim
-
1. In an engine including a power output shaft for connection to drive a vehicle, the engine further including a fuel supply system comprised of at least one cam driven injector, a fuel supply line extending from a fuel supply to the injector, a fuel pump connected in said supply line and pumping supply fuel in said supply line to said injector, said injector operating as a valve and directing a portion of the supply fuel to a burned flow passage for combustion in the engine and directing the remainder of the supply fuel to a return passage, said return passage carrying said remainder of fuel to the fuel supply, the ratio of said portion of said supply fuel to said supply fuel being substantially constant over different engine operating conditions, the improvement comprising first sensing means connected in said supply line and providing a first signal representing the quantity of said supply fuel, second sensing means responsive to turning of said output shaft and providing a second signal representing movement of the vehicle, and circuit means receiving said first and said second signals, processing said signals, and indicating vehicle performance information to the operator of the vehicle related to fuel consumption and vehicle movement, said circuit means including means for dividing one of said first and second signals by the other and providing an indication of the fuel consumption rate.
Specification
-
- Resources
-
Current AssigneeCummins Incorporated
-
Original AssigneeCummins Incorporated
-
InventorsLauterbach, Jerre F.
-
Primary Examiner(s)Morrison, Malcolm A.
-
Assistant Examiner(s)Krass, Errol A.
-
Application NumberUS05/843,540Time in Patent Office545 DaysField of Search364/442, 364/510, 364/431, 73/113, 73/114, 73/119 A, 235/61 J, 235/92 CP, 235/92 FL, 235/92 RT, 239/88, 239/89, 123/139 AT, 123/139 TUS Class Current701/123CPC Class CodesG01F 9/001 with electric, electro-mech...
