Patent Application
20130319380
The present disclosure relates to an intake manifold with an integrated compressor for an internal combustion engine.
An intake manifold or inlet manifold is the part of an engine that supplies air to the engine's cylinders. As known in the art, mechanical air compressors or superchargers may be used to generate forced induction in internal combustion engines.
Typically, such compressors or superchargers are driven by the subject engine to increase a mass flow-rate of air communicated to the engine's cylinders, thus generating what is called boost pressure to the cylinders via the intake manifold. Superchargers may be either positive displacement or compressor type.
The increased mass flow-rate of air in turn provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned inside the engine's cylinders. Such increased amount of fuel and air being burned results in enhanced engine volumetric efficiency and greater power output.
One embodiment of the disclosure is directed to an induction system for an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder. According to the embodiment, the induction system includes a centrifugal compressor configured to rotate about a first axis and pressurize an airflow being received from the ambient. The induction system also includes an intake manifold configured to channel and deliver the pressurized airflow to the at least one cylinder. The centrifugal compressor is disposed within and integral to the intake manifold.
The intake manifold may include a diffuser positioned downstream of the compressor and configured to receive the pressurized airflow therefrom. The diffuser may be configured as one of a volute and a flat plate.
The intake manifold may include a diffuser positioned downstream of the compressor and configured to receive the pressurized airflow therefrom.
The intake manifold may additionally include a plenum positioned downstream of the diffuser and configured to receive the pressurized airflow therefrom.
The at least one cylinder may include a plurality, particularly an even number, of cylinders disposed in a “V” arrangement. In such a case, the intake manifold may be configured to be positioned in a valley of the “V” arrangement. Furthermore, the intake manifold may additionally include a plurality of runners, each runner configured to deliver the pressurized airflow to one of the plurality of engine's cylinders.
The centrifugal compressor may be driven by the crankshaft via a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism may include at least one of a gear-, a chain-, and a belt-drive.
The engine may additionally include a crankshaft configured to be rotated about a second axis by the at least one cylinder. Furthermore, the first axis may be substantially orthogonal to the second axis.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to an internal combustion engine having the induction system described above. The engine may include an intake air duct configured to deliver the airflow from the ambient to the induction system.
The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiment(s) and best mode(s) for carrying out the described invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.
Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numbers correspond to like or similar components throughout the several figures,
Each cylinder 14 includes a piston 18 configured to reciprocate therein. Combustion chambers 20 are formed within the cylinders 14 between the bottom surface of the cylinder heads 16 and the tops of the pistons 18. As known by those skilled in the art, a combustion chamber such as the combustion chamber 20 is configured to receive fuel and air for subsequent combustion of the fuel-air mixture therein. The engine 10 also includes a crankshaft 22 configured to rotate within the cylinder block 12. The crankshaft 22 is rotated by the pistons 18 as a result of an appropriately proportioned fuel-air mixture being burned in the combustion chambers 20.
The engine 10 also includes an induction system 24. The induction system 24 includes an intake manifold 26 and an intake air duct 28 configured to deliver an airflow 30 from the ambient to the intake manifold. As shown in
As shown in
With continued reference to
As a result of the intake manifold 26 incorporating the inlet 44 with the parallel-plate type of diffuser 46 and having the integrated compressor 32, the intake manifold may be devoid of a volute arrangement. As is known by those skilled in the art, a volute is a spiral-shaped scroll duct that is typically included in add-on compressor assemblies that are configured to deliver the airflow from the subject compressor to the plenum 48.
As shown in
The detailed description and the drawings or figures are supportive and descriptive of the invention, but the scope of the invention is defined solely by the claims. While some of the best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the claimed invention have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments exist for practicing the invention defined in the appended claims.
