BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fogging devices, used to generate an insecticide fog, for example, and utilizing the pulse-jet (resonant intermittant combustion) principle, are well known in the prior art. An example of such structure is disclosed in Tenney et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,857,332 and the pulse jet engine operation is there explained in some detail. A fogging apparatus utilizing a resonant, intermittant combustion device, a fuel supply, an insecticide supply and a starting device is disclosed in Curtis U.S. Pat. No. 3,151,454. The apparatus of the present invention represents an improved version of such prior art devices.

The apparatus of the present invention provides a thermal barrier between the engine and the fuel and insecticide tank components. The engine has a housing configuration and air vent orientation such that convection air currents reduce or eliminate the substantial temperature rise of parts of the apparatus occuring after engine shut-down, a difficulty which has plagued prior art devices. The fuel valve component provides improved fuel air atomization and mixing and substantially eliminates back-flow or blow-back of raw fuel through the air intake, a condition heretofore inherent in pulse jet engine operation. The valve which controls flow-inducing pressurizing of the insecticide tank is provided with a vent which functions to bleed off pressure in the insecticide tank after engine shut-down, an added safety feature. The control valve, metering the flow of insecticide at a selected rate, utilizes an integrally formed conically shaped valve member of a suitable elastomeric material with a circular bead above the conical portion so that sealing of both the stem and the valve seat is accomplished by the single valve member. Several constructional features, including a vapor trap in the fuel feeding line, prevent fuel and fuel vapor from migrating into proximity with hot engine parts immediately after engine shut-down. Post-shut down ignition of fuel, a difficulty in prior art structures, is thus prevented. The apparatus is provided with additional constructional improvements referred to in the subsequent, detailed description of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the primary components of the pulse fog generator of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the pulse fog generator of the present invention as actually assembled and not in schematic form.

FIG. 2A is a fragmentary, top plan view of a portion of the structure shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the structure shown in FIG. 2 but taken from the opposite side thereof and with a portion broken away.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the structure shown in FIG. 2, taken from the right hand end of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, detailed view of the discharge tube or duct portion of the apparatus and illustrating its connection to the exhaust tube and the exhaust tube housing.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the discharge tube and the outer housing, with a portion of the outer housing broken away to reveal the inner housing.

FIG. 7 is a sectional, side view of the insecticide fluid tank or reservoir.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side sectional view of the check or unidirectional valve controlling pressurization of the insecticide fluid tank shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the upper portion of the fuel and air inlet valve.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of the upper portion of the fuel and air inlet valve taken generally along the line 10--10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of the valve taken generally along the line 11--11 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the manually operated insecticide fluid control valve.

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is an end view of a handle structure shown in FIG. 12 and taken generally along the line 14--14 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a side sectional view of an insecticide fluid control valve which is a modified form of the valve shown in FIG. 12 and utilizing only one valve closure member.

FIG. 16 is a side view, partially in section, illustrating a modified form of the valve closure shown in both FIGS. 12 and 15.

FIG. 16A is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the valve closure member of FIG. 16 seated in the conical cavity in the valve body.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a cam member utilized in the assembly.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the valve actuating rod which cooperates with the cam shown in FIG. 17.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring primary to FIG. 1, the various components of the pulse fog generator device are schematically shown with interconnecting tubing. The apparatus includes a sinuous exhaust tube 10, communicating at one end with a combustion chamber 11, the combustion chamber having an electric glow coil, known in the prior art, identified at 12 and functioning as a flame holder. The other end of the sinuous tube extends through a discharge tube 13. The end of the sinuous tube 10 is spaced from the discharge tube 13 to provide an annular air passage to atmosphere.

The exhaust tube 10, although sinuous, lies in a single vertical plane and is enclosed with a flat, generally rectangular outer housing 14 and an inner housing 16 having the same general configuration as the housing 14 but nested in the outer housing, the walls of the housing 14 and 16 being spaced from each other. As may be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inner housing 16 and the outer housing 14 have outwardly extending perpheral flanges which are stacked and joined together by any suitable means such as bolts 16a. The outer housing 14 is provided with a series of air intake apertures 17 which function to admit air into the space between the housings. It will be noted that the discharge tube 13 extends from and is in communication with the interior of the housing 16 but extends through the housing 14 in sealed relation thereto. The inner housing 16 is provided with air intake apertures 18 and, it will be noted, these are below the sinuous exhaust tube 10. Cooling convection currents of air move through the apertures 17, through the apertures 18, sweep over the sinuous tube 10 and exit through the annular space within the discharge tube 13 and these convection air currents circulate whether or not the resonant intermittent combustion device is in operation, the convection air currents thus serving to cool the exhaust tube rapidly after shut down of the combustion device. As previously mentioned the exhaust tube 10 a sinuous configuration. Since a design-specified length of the exhaust tube must be retained to produce satisfactory noise level and operating characteristics in a pulse-jet engine, the sinuous configuration provides a means for incorporating the required exhaust tube length in relatively restricted space. The sinuous exhaust tube 10 differs from prior art structures, however, in that the longitudinal centerline of the combustion chamber 11 and formed tube 10 lie in a single common plane thus making possible the utilization of the relatively flat, vertically disposed tube housings 14 and 16 and the thin overall contour of the complete assembly.

The hottest portions of the exhaust tube 10, during engine operation are at the radiused ends of the sinuous tubes and, as will be evident from FIGS. 1 and 6, the air intake apertures 17 in the outer housing 14 and one set of apertures 18 in the inner housing 16 are located adjacent the tube bends. It will also be apparent from FIG. 1 that the combustion chamber and attached exhaust tube entrance are located at a lower corner of the nested housings 14 and 16. The cooling air moving along the outside of tube 10 is discharged from the tube 13 adjacent an upper, diagonally opposite corner of the nested housings. The hottest operating area of the engine, combustion chamber 11, is thus placed near the bottom of the engine housings and removed from the air intake apertures 17 and the air discharge tube 13. This arrangement has particular utility in that it is conductive to dissipating engine heat by convection air flow after the engine has been shut down. During engine operation and, particularly, after engine shut down air entering housing 14 through the set of apertures 18, just below combustion chamber 11, receives heat from the combustion chamber, rises and moves over the sinuous tube 10 and out the tube 13. This produces a relatively rapid cooling of the engine after shut down, eliminating the undesirable post shut down temperature rise of the engine and adjacent parts which is characteristic of prior art devices. The convection flow of cooling air described, it will be noted, continues after engine shut down and until the engine has cooled. This utilization of thermal convection to provide cooling air after engine shut down is a unique feature of the structure herein described.

Flow of fuel and air into the combustion chamber 11 is controlled by a fuel control valve indicated generally at 21 having an upper portion 22 and a lower portion 23. An electrical spark ignition means having electrodes extending into the combustion antechamber 46 is identified at 24. A manually operable charging air pump is indicated generally at 26 and a combustion fuel supply tank is indicated at 27.

A check valve indicated generally at 28 functions to pressurize the upper portion of the insecticide fluid reservoir or tank 29 in a fashion to be subsequently described in detail. A manually adjustable insecticide fluid metering valve is indicated generally at 31, the valve 31 controlling the movement of insecticide fluid in the gases discharged through the exhaust tube 10, these gases issuing as insecticide fog from the discharge tube 13. A fuel supply line 32 connects the fuel tank 27 with the fuel valve 21. Air is supplied through the valve 21 from atmosphere when the combustion device is in operation, however, upon start-up air is supplied to the combustion chamber through the valve 21 by means of the air tube or conduit 33 which receives air from the manual pump 26 when operated. The pump 26 also supplies air through the tube 34 to the intake side of the valve 28. Air pressure, through the tube 36 is thus presented in the upper portion of the fuel tank 27 and provides pressurization of the interior of the fuel tank to assure fuel feeding. Air is also supplied through the tube 37 for pressurizing the upper portion of the insecticide fluid tank 29 thereby assuring the flow of insecticide through the tube 38 to the valve 31. The tube 39 leads from the outlet of the valve 31 to the insecticide fluid injection fitting 41. During operation of the combustion device, that is, after initial start-up, the tube 42 supplies combustion chamber pressure through the body of valve 28, to the tube 36 for pressurizing the fuel tank 27 and insecticide tank 29 after manipulation of the hand pump 26 has ceased, it being understood that, as is conventional, the hand pump is utilized merely to supply start-up combustion air and to initially pressurize the fuel tank.

The valve 21 includes conventional petal valve 43 which permits one-way introduction of a combustible fuel air mixture through the apertures 44 into the combustion antechamber 46, the apertures 44 functioning as combustion chamber pressure controlled fuel delivery apertures. The valve also includes a conical deflector 47.

The valve 21, combustion chamber 11 and exhaust tube 10 function in conventional fashion as a resonant intermittent combustion device. The operation of such combustion devices is well known in the prior art and is explained in detail in Tenney et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,857,332. After initial ignition of the air-fuel charge, pulsating combustion is maintained by the engine without the necessity of further operation of the ignition means with the exhaust gases moving through the sinuous tube 10 and out the discharge end of the tube.

The components shown somewhat schematically in FIG. 1 will now be described in more detail and initial reference is to FIGS. 2, 2A, 3 and 4. As will be evident from these figures, the components are mounted on the side faces of a vertically oriented, shaped and horizontally ribbed plate 51 of relatively lightweight sheet metal.

This vertical plate 51 has attached to it all of the other components and assemblies of the complete apparatus. As may be seen in FIG. 2A, the plate 51 is shaped to enclose the insecticide tank 29 and is provided with horizontally extending ribs which rigidify the support provided by the plate. The plate 51, though made of thermally conducting sheet metal, serves as a thermal barrier between the hot engine parts, supported from one side of the plate, and the other components (fuel and insecticide tanks and engine ignition apparatus composed of the battery and ignition coil which must be protected from any substantial temperature rise during and subsequent to operation of the engine. The engine assembly is attached to the plate by four brackets 52 (FIG. 4) which support the exhaust tube housing 14 and hold it spaced from plate 51. The heat generated in the engine assembly (to be subsequently described in detail) can move to the plate 51 only by convection through the air space provided by spacing brackets 52, by radiation and by conduction through the brackets. The thin cross-section brackets 52 provide only a small heat conductive path to the plate, air moving upwardly, by convection, between the plate 51 and the engine assembly tends to remove heat from between the plate and the hot engine assembly, and loss of heat by radiation from the engine enclosure assembly is controlled by coating the enclosure with an aluminum pigmented finish.

The valve 28 and the valve 31 and also disposed to the right of the central plate 51 (as viewed in FIG. 4). A carrying handle 53 extends upwardly from the plate and a wire guard 54 overlies the exhaust tube housing 14, the protecting guard or grill being attached at its upper end to a deflector plate 56 (FIG. 4) which extends sidewardly in inclined relation to the plate 51 and serves to deflect heat away from the handle area.

Referring to FIG. 2, a container 61 for accommodating a battery and ignition coil used to energize the spark means 24 and the glow coil 12 is supported on the left-hand side of the plate 51 (as viewed in FIG. 4). The hand pump 26 and the fuel tank 29 are also mounted on this side of the central, vertical plate 51. The insecticide tank 29 is accommodated within a cavity 62 formed by the shaped portion 63 of the central support plate 51 and the shield 66 (FIG. 2A) formed by a plate having vertical undulations, the shield being secured at its corners to plate 51 by metal clamps. The insecticide tank 29 is formed of semi-rigid plastic and is sized so that when unpressurized it slips easily into the cavity (FIG. 2A), but, when pressurized, resists removal from the cavity because of the pressure exerted by the bulging tank walls against the wall of the receiving cavity. The shield 66 provides further means for spacing or insulating the insecticide tank from the heat generating combustion device disposed on the opposite side of the plate 51. The vertical undulations in the shield 66 provide thermal chimneys or passages through which cooling air, entering at the base of the apparatus, may move upwardly by convection through the shield undulations to exit at the top of the assembly removing heat which has reached the plate 51 and thus further insulating the insecticide tank 29 from the heat source provided by the engine. The shield 66 thus provides a convection path for cooling air, spaces the tank 29 away from plate 51 and strengthens the total structure.

Support legs 67 extend from the central plate 51 and from the wire guard 54 to support the components above the floor or other supporting surface sufficient to permit air to enter below the engine housings and move upwardly by convection. As may best be seen in FIG. 5 the discharge tube 13 is provided with a surrounding wire guard 13a.

It is desirable that the insecticide liquid tank 29 be easily removable from the apparatus when empty or when it is to be interchanged with a duplicate tank holding a different, or additional, insecticide fluid and this feature requires that the pressurizing air line and the insecticide fluid delivery line be easily and quickly detachable from the tank. The structure particularly adapted to accomplish this is shown in detail in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7 the lines 37 and 38 are connected to a common removable junction block 71 which is secured to a mating assembly by a single finger-tight screw 72, the mating assembly being secured to the insecticide tank. The mating assembly consists of a backup plate 73, a face plate 74 on the outside of the container, a nipple 37a adapted to be attached to the line 37 and a nipple 38a adapted to be attached to the line 38. The two nipples 37a and 38a extend through the face plate 74 and through the container wall engaged by the backup plate 73, an o-ring or gasket seal being disposed between the face plate and the container and an o-ring or gasket seal being disposed between the appropriate shoulder of the block 71 and the nipples. To remove or replace the insecticide fluid tank 29, the screw 72 may be loosened, the junction block 71 and attached tubes 37 and 38 removed and the replacement tank, having nipples and mounting plates extending from the appropriate one of its sides installed in the tank receiving cavity and the junction block 71 again tightened onto the new of replacement fluid tank. A dummy junction block may be provided for sealing the insecticide tank either before or after it has been inserted in the supporting cavity.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the insecticide pressure tank controlling check valve 28 will now be described in detail. The lower portion of the valve connects to the tubes 34, 36 and 42, previously described, and a cylindrical valve portion 28a, extending upwardly from the transverse passage through the valve, has supported in it a tubular valve member 28b formed of rubber or similar elastomer. The valve member is formed so hat it has two inclined faces (one of which is shown in FIG. 8 and identified at 28c) topped by a slot 28d formed in the member at the junction of the two inclined faces. The tubular member 28a has a reduced nipple portion 28e which extends through and is supported on the mounting plate 76. The reduced portion 28e has clamped to it the adjacent end of the flexible tube 37 leading to the upper portion of the insecticide fluid tank 29. There is a small aperture 28f formed in the inclined face 28c of the member 28b, this aperture serving as a by-pass to the slot 28d and permitting pressure to bleed back after short time interval from the downstream side of the valve member 28b once combustion has ceased in combustion chamber 11. It will be understood that pressure pulses extending in the tubular member 28a below the valve slot 28d will cause air or exhaust gases to pass through the slot 28d into the tube 37 but the pressure pulses are passed in one directon only and pressure can not reversely move through the slot 28d, although pressure extending downstream of the valve member 28b can be relieved through the aperture 28f, a preferred time interval for bleed-off of this pressure being 45 seconds. At start-up pressure pulses from the pump 26, transmitted through the tube 34, and, during combustion pressure pulses from the combustion chamber 11, transmitted through the tube 42, are utilized to pressurize the top of the insecticide fluid supply tank 29. The top of the fuel tank 27 is, of course, pressurized through the line 36 directly by line 34 from the pump 26 and by line 42 from the combustion chamber 11 without passing through the check valve member 28b.

In prior art devices it is conventional to tap pressure from the pulse jet engine, while it is operating, to pressurize both the fuel supply tank and the insecticide tank. Pressure pulses are taken from the engine and directed through a one-way or check valve and delivered to the insecticide tank, pressurizing the tank and thus inducing the desired flow of insecticide to the engine exhaust tube during engine operation. With such arrangements it is necessary to provide an additional safety valve (usually pressure responsive) in the insecticide line from the tank which closes should the engine cease operation for any reason. The necessity for this additonal valve occurs because the pressure in the insecticide tank, bulit-up during the normal operation of the engine, remains after the engine stops due to a malfunction or for any other reason, and dangerous flow of oil-based insecticide continues to the hot engine after combustion has ceased unless an engine operation responsive safetly valve is provided in the insecticide line. The aperture 28f in the valve member 28b eliminates the necessity for this additional safety valve. While the aperture does not materially affect the build up of tank pressure by engine pressure pulses through the slot 28d, it does permit the pressure in the tank to bleed back across the member 28b in a short time interval of the order of 45 seconds. Upon engine shut down, the insecticide tank is rapidly depressurized through the aperture 28f and insecticide flow to the engine ceases even though the manually operated insecticide flow control valve, to be subsequently described, is held open. The aperture 28f thus obviates the necessity of providing a conventional, additional engine combustion responsive safety valve in the insecticide fluid line.

Referring to FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, the fuel valve 21 will now be described in detail. As pointed out with reference to FIG. 1, the valve has a lower casting 23 which encloses an antechamber 46, the chamber being defined by the horizontal plate 44a (FIG. 1) in which are formed the apertures 44. A conical deflector 47 is centered on the upper side of the plate and a pin extending through the plate supports a flexible petal valve member 43, the valve functioning to permit an air-fuel mixture to move downwardly through the apertures 44 but flexing to pervent movement of exhaust gases back through the supports 44. The upper portion of the valve 21, the portion identified at 22 in FIG. 1, is shown in detail in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11. As will be evident from comparing FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, the casting 22 provides a generally frusto-conical chamber overlying the inlet side of the apertures 44 (FIG. 1). The chamber, as will be evident from FIG. 9, is elongated along two of its sides and these elongated sides are formed by inclined surfaces 22a which give it its generally conical configuration. The end surfaces 22b of the chamber are slightly curved transversely but extend vertically upward. The frusto-conical chamber is identified at 20 in FIG. 10. The smaller end of the chamber 20 is defined by a transverse baffle wall 22c having a central opening 22d (FIGS. 9 and 11) therein. A further baffle wall 22e is spaced from the baffle member 22c vertically and extends over the major portion of the central opening 22d, as will be evident from FIG. 9.

A central bore extends vertically through the casting 22 and accommodates a spud 22f from the lower portion of which extends a fuel supply orifice tube 22g, the tube extending freely through a central aperture in the baffle wall 22e with its axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the chamber 20. The orifice spud 22f at its upper end provides a valve seat 22k against which the lower end 22m