Exhaust gas-turbocharged internal combustion engine comprising a radial compressor with guide device arranged in the diffuser, and method for operating an internal combustion engine of said type

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10006356-B2
Application number	US-201615048277-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2016
Priority date	Feb 23, 2015
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for an adjustable diffuser of a turbocharger compressor. In one example, a compressor includes a diffuser formed in a compressor housing downstream of an impeller of the compressor, the diffuser including guide blades mounted on a rotatable annular support of the diffuser. Further, an engine controller may adjust rotation of the annular support based on one or more engine operating conditions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A supercharged internal combustion engine, comprising:
an intake system for the supply of charge air;
an exhaust-gas discharge system for the discharge of exhaust gas; and
at least one exhaust-gas turbocharger which comprises a radial turbine arranged in the exhaust-gas discharge system and a radial compressor arranged in the intake system, the compressor being equipped with at least one impeller which is mounted, in a compressor housing, on a rotatable shaft, the rotatable shaft mounted rotatably in a bearing housing, a diffuser being formed in the compressor housing downstream of the at least one impeller, guide blades of a guide device being arranged in the diffuser, and the guide device comprising an annular support which holds the guide blades of the guide device, wherein the annular support, together with the guide blades, revolves around the shaft of the compressor, an electric motor surrounding the bearing housing and directly coupled to the annular support to drive rotation of the annular support in accordance with demand, where the electric motor forcibly imparts revolving movement to the annular support in at least one direction of rotation and where the electric motor includes a rotor mounted rotatably on the bearing housing and surrounding the rotatable shaft.

2. The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a controller including instructions stored in non-transitory memory for: via the electric motor, rotating the annular support in a first direction, opposite the direction of rotation of the at least one impeller of the compressor, during a first engine operating condition, and rotating the annular support in a second direction, the same direction of rotation as the at least one impeller of the compressor, during a second engine operating condition.

3. The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electric motor includes a stator arranged and mounted around the bearing housing, wherein the rotor is connected to the annular support, and wherein the annular support is arranged between the electric motor and the at least one impeller, relative to an axial direction.

4. The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the stator comprises an energizable coil for generating a magnetic field.

5. The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising an alternate engine component capable of energy storage and coupled to the electric motor, where current produced within the stator is routed to the alternate engine component.

6. The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotor comprises an energizable coil for generating a magnetic field.

7. The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotor comprises at least one permanent magnet for generating a magnetic field.

8. The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the annular support is arranged rearward of the at least one impeller and the electric motor is arranged rearward of the annular support.

9. The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a collecting line for compressed charge air is provided in the compressor housing downstream of the diffuser and wherein a charge-air cooler is arranged in the intake system downstream of the compressor.

10. The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the guide blades are designed to be movable relative to the annular support, such that the guide device is an adjustable guide device, and further comprising an actuator connected to the guide device and adapted to adjust a pitch of the guide blades.

11. A method for operating a supercharged internal combustion engine, comprising:
determining an engine speed of the internal combustion engine;
in response to the determined engine speed being below a first predefinable engine speed n mot,1 , driving a rotational movement of an annular support of a guide device of a diffuser of a turbocharger compressor, the diffuser positioned downstream of an impeller mounted in a compressor housing on a rotatable shaft and formed in the compressor housing, around the shaft in an opposite direction to a direction of rotation of the impeller via an electric motor coupled with the annular support, where the guide device includes guide blades arranged in the diffuser and held by the annular support, the guide blades angled in a first direction around a circumference of the annular support; and
in response to the determined engine speed being above a second predefinable engine speed n mot,2 of the internal combustion engine, driving the rotational movement of the annular support in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the impeller via the electric motor, the guide blades angled in the first direction around the circumference of the annular support.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein, proceeding from an oppositely-directed rotational movement of the annular support, in response to the determined engine speed exceeding a third predefinable engine speed n mot,3 of the internal combustion engine, reversing the rotational movement of the annular support, such that the rotational movement of the annular support is in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the impeller via the electric motor.

13. The method as claimed in one of claim 11 , further comprising deactivating the electric motor in order to utilize the guide device as a non-revolving, static guide device in response to the determined engine speed exceeding a fourth predefinable engine speed n mot,4 .

14. A method, comprising:
adjusting, via an electric motor, a speed of continuous rotation of an annular support of a diffuser of a compressor around a shaft of the compressor based on one or more engine operating conditions, the diffuser positioned downstream of an impeller of the compressor driven by the shaft, the electric motor coupled to the annular support, where adjusting rotation of the annular support includes:
during a first condition when a volute pressure of a volute of the compressor is less than a first threshold or when the volute pressure is not less than the first threshold and an air flow rate through the compressor is less than a second threshold, driving rotation of the annular support of the diffuser in a first direction;
during a second condition when the volute pressure is not less than the first threshold, the air flow rate through the compressor is not less than the second threshold, and engine load is less than a third threshold, not driving the annular support of the diffuser and allowing the annular support to freely rotate in a second direction, opposite the first direction; and
during a third condition when the volute pressure is not less than the first threshold, the air flow rate through the compressor is not less than the second threshold, and the engine load is not less than the third threshold, not driving the annular support of the diffuser and holding the annular support in a stationary position relative to the shaft.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising adjusting a position of pivotable vanes arranged on the annular support of the diffuser based on an exhaust flow rate through the compressor.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein adjusting the position of the pivotable vanes is actuated via a second auxiliary drive coupled to the pivotable vanes, and wherein both the electric motor and the second auxiliary device are control

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Kemmerling Joerg
• Kindl Helmut Matthias
• Smiljanovski Vanco
• Sommerhoff Franz Arnd
• Kuske Andreas
• Wunderlich Frank

Classifications

• F04D17/127

  with radially spaced stages, e.g. for contrarotating type · CPC title

• F02B37/12

  Control of the pumps · CPC title

• F05D2220/40

  in turbochargers · CPC title

• F02B37/24 Primary

  by using pumps or turbines with adjustable guide vanes · CPC title

• F04D29/444

  Bladed diffusers · CPC title