Turbocharger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9322322-B2
Application number	US-201314138985-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2013
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

A turbocharger system for a vehicle may include a turbocharger, a tank for compressed gas and an exhaust manifold conduit in fluid communication with an inlet of the turbocharger. The tank is in fluid communication with the manifold conduit and is arranged to push compressed gas into the manifold conduit during a predetermined pulse duration time period for initial compressor spin up in the turbocharger.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A turbocharger system for a vehicle, the system comprising:
a turbocharger having an inlet;
a tank for compressed gas;
a tank valve connected to the tank and being actuatable to release the compressed gas from the tank for a predetermined pulse duration period of 0.1-0.2 seconds for initial compressor spin up in the turbocharger;
an exhaust manifold conduit in fluid communication with the inlet of the turbocharger;
wherein the tank is in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold conduit, and
the tank valve is arranged to be controlled to release the compressed gas from the tank into the exhaust manifold conduit during the predetermined pulse duration time period.

2. A system according to claim 1 further comprising an exhaust manifold in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold conduit, wherein the tank is in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold, and wherein the tank is arranged to provide compressed gas into the exhaust manifold during a predetermined pulse duration time period for initial compressor spin up in the turbocharger.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the tank is rechargeable.

4. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a compressor for compressing air into the tank.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein the compressor is an electric compressor.

6. A system according to claim 4 wherein the compressor and tank are part of a pneumatic chassis suspension and/or air pressure brake system.

7. A system according to claim 4 wherein the compressor is positionable in an engine compartment cold zone or in an air intake system.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein the compressed gas is air.

9. A system according to claim 1 wherein the compressed gas comprises exhaust gas.

10. A system according to claim 2 wherein the tank is configured to receive exhaust gas from the exhaust manifold.

11. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a control unit connected to a pulse regulation unit for regulating the pulse duration time period.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein the tank valve is controllable by the pulse regulation unit.

13. A system according to claim 12 wherein the tank valve is arranged to be controlled to close when pressure in the tank exceeds exhaust back pressure.

14. A system according to claim 12 wherein the tank valve is controllable dependent on throttle movement and/or throttle position.

15. A system according to claim 12 wherein the tank valve is arranged to be controlled to close when the turbocharger has an RPM above a predetermined threshold.

16. A system according to claim 12 wherein the tank valve is arranged to be controlled in such a way that only a part of pressure in the tank is released from the tank, and wherein the tank valve during the release is arranged to perform one or more opening events.

17. A system according to claim 16 wherein the tank valve is arranged to be controlled in such a way that the at least one opening time is longer than 50 ms.

18. A vehicle comprising:
an engine;
a turbocharger having an inlet, the turbocharger being drivable by exhaust gas from the engine;
a tank for compressed gas;
a tank valve connected to the tank and being actuatable to release the compressed gas from the tank for a predetermined pulse duration period of 0.1-0.2 seconds for initial compressor spin up in the turbocharger; and
an exhaust manifold conduit in fluid communication with the inlet of the turbocharger;
wherein the tank is in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold conduit, and the tank valve is arranged to be controlled to release the compressed gas from the tank into the exhaust manifold conduit during the predetermined pulse duration time period.

19. A turbocharger system for a vehicle, the system comprising:
a turbocharger having an inlet;
a tank for compressed gas;
a tank valve connected to the tank and being actuatable to release the compressed gas from the tank for a predetermined pulse duration period of 0.1-0.2 seconds for initial compressor spin up in the turbocharger;
a pulse regulation unit for controlling the tank valve; and
an exhaust manifold conduit in fluid communication with the inlet of the turbocharger;
wherein the tank is in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold conduit, and the pulse regulation unit is configured to control the tank valve to release the compressed gas from the tank into the exhaust manifold conduit during the predetermined pulse duration time period.

Assignees

• Volvo Car Corp

Inventors

• Almkvist Goran
• Bjorkholtz Jonas J

Classifications

• F02D41/0007

  for control of turbo-charged or super-charged engines (control of the pumps per se F02B37/12) · CPC title

• Y02T10/146

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F02B21/00

  Engines characterised by air-storage chambers · CPC title

• F02B37/20

  by increasing exhaust energy, e.g. using combustion chamber {by after-burning (using an auxiliary combustion chamber supplied by charging air F02B37/166)} · CPC title

• F02B29/02

  Other fluid-dynamic features of induction systems for improving quantity of charge (for also imparting a rotation to the charge in the cylinder F02B31/00) · CPC title