Pcv valve and pollution control system

Abstract

A PCV valve and pollution control system for combustion engines. The PCV valve has an inlet and an outlet adapted to vent blow-by gasses from the crank case of a combustion engine. The inlet of the PCV valve is in fluid communication with a port on an engine oil cap on an engine oil inlet tube. The PCV valve may be integral with the engine oil cap or connected thereto by a hose. The outlet of the PCV valve directs vented blow-by gasses to a fuel/air inlet to the combustion chamber of the engine. The combination of the PCV valve with the engine oil cap facilitates installation of the system on a combustion engine.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pollution control system, comprising:
 a controller coupled to a sensor for monitoring an operational characteristic of a combustion engine, wherein the controller is configured to selectively modulate engine vacuum pressure to adjustably increase or decrease a fluid flow rate of blow-by gasses venting from the combustion engine; and   a PCV valve adapted to vent blow-by gasses from a crankcase of the combustion engine, an inlet of the PCV valve being in fluid communication with a port on an engine oil cap of the combustion engine such that the blow-by gasses are vented through an oil filler tube to the crankcase, and an outlet of the PCV valve being in fluid communication with a fuel/air inlet of the combustion engine, wherein the PCV valve comprises a two-stage check valve, the first stage directed by the controller, and the second stage compatible with OEM settings wherein the check valve opens only under sufficient vacuum pressure in the event the controller fails.   
     
     
         2 . The pollution control system of  claim 1 , wherein the inlet of the PCV valve is co-extensive with the port on the engine oil cap. 
     
     
         3 . The pollution control system of  claim 2 , wherein the PCV valve is integrally formed with the engine oil cap such that the inlet of the PCV valve is the port on the engine oil cap. 
     
     
         4 . The pollution control system of  claim 1 , further comprising a filter screen over the port in the engine oil cap. 
     
     
         5 . The pollution control system of  claim 1 , wherein the outlet of the PCV valve is in fluid communication with a recycle line on an OEM pollution control system, wherein the OEM pollution control system vents directly from the crankcase. 
     
     
         6 . The pollution control system of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel/air inlet comprises an intake manifold, a fuel line, an air line, or a fresh air intake. 
     
     
         7 . The pollution control system of  claim 6 , wherein the fuel/air inlet is a fresh air intake for an air filter that feeds into a supercharger on the combustion engine. 
     
     
         8 . The pollution control system of  claim 1 , further comprising an oil separator in fluid communication with the outlet from the PCV valve, an oil outlet from the oil separator in fluid communication with the crankcase of the combustion engine and a gas outlet from the oil separator in fluid communication with the fuel/air inlet of the combustion engine. 
     
     
         9 . The pollution control system of  claim 1 , wherein the combustion engine is configured to combust gasoline, methanol, diesel, ethanol, compressed natural gas, liquid propane gas, hydrogen, or an alcohol-based fuel. 
     
     
         10 . The pollution control system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller decreases the engine vacuum pressure during periods of decreased production of blow-by gasses to decrease the fluid flow rate through the PCV valve, and increases the engine vacuum pressure during periods of increased production of blow-by gasses to increase the fluid flow rate through the PCV valve. 
     
     
         11 . The pollution control system of  claim 10 , wherein the controller includes a pre-programmed software program, a flash-updatable software program, or a behavior-learning software program. 
     
     
         12 . The pollution control system of  claim 11 , wherein the controller includes a wireless transmitter or a wireless receiver. 
     
     
         13 . The pollution control system of  claim 10 , wherein the controller includes a window switch coupled to an engine RPM sensor, and wherein the engine vacuum pressure is modulated based on a predetermined engine RPM or multiple engine RPMs set by the window switch. 
     
     
         14 . The pollution control system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller includes an on-delay timer so as to preclude fluid flow of blow-by gasses for a predetermined duration after activation of the combustion engine. 
     
     
         15 . The pollution control system of  claim 14 , wherein the predetermined duration is a function of time, engine temperature, or engine RPM. 
     
     
         16 . The pollution control system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises an engine temperature sensor, a spark plug sensor, an accelerometer sensor, a PCV valve sensor, or an exhaust sensor. 
     
     
         17 . The pollution control system of  claim 16 , wherein the operational characteristic comprises an engine temperature, a quantity of engine cylinders, a real-time acceleration calculation, or an engine RPM. 
     
     
         18 . A PCV valve adapted to vent blow-by gasses from a crankcase of a combustion engine, the PCV valve comprising:
 an inlet in fluid communication with a port on an engine oil cap, the engine oil cap configured for attachment to an oil filler tube to the crankcase;   an outlet configured for fluid communication with a fuel/air inlet of the combustion engine; and   a two-stage check valve between the inlet and the outlet, wherein the first stage of the check valve is configured to be opened or closed by a solenoid mechanism responsive to a controller, and the second stage of the check valve is biased in a closed position so as to open only under vacuum pressure in the combustion engine greater than a predetermined threshold.   
     
     
         19 . The PCV valve of  claim 18 , wherein the inlet of the PCV valve is fluidly connected to the port on the engine oil cap by a hose. 
     
     
         20 . The PCV valve of  claim 18 , wherein the inlet of the PCV valve is co-extensive with the port on the engine oil cap. 
     
     
         21 . The PCV valve of  claim 20 , wherein the engine oil cap is integrally formed with the PCV valve such that the inlet is the port on the engine oil cap. 
     
     
         22 . The PCV valve of  claim 18 , further comprising a filter screen covering the port in the engine oil cap.