| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080271719 | Vented Gear Drive Assembly for a Supercharger - A gear drive assembly for a supercharger is provided. The gear drive assembly has at least one gear member rotatable about an axis of rotation and includes a cover member operable to substantially enclose the at least one gear member. A tube member extends though the cover member and is generally aligned along the axis of rotation. The tube member is operable to vent the gear drive assembly. A supercharger assembly incorporating the gear drive assembly is also disclosed. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080292452 | Housing for a Supercharger Assembly - A housing for a supercharger assembly is provided having an inner wall at least partially defining a rotor cavity. A layer is formed from a sacrificial polymeric material and is provided on at least a portion of the inner wall. The layer is operable to provide approximately zero running clearance and improve scuff resistance between the first and second rotors and the inner wall. The sacrificial polymeric material is applied to the inner wall by insert molding to form the layer. A method of forming the housing is also provided. | 11-27-2008 |
| 20080292487 | Tapered Rotor Assemblies for a Supercharger - A rotor assembly is provided for a compressor assembly having a housing defining an inlet port, outlet port, and a rotor cavity in communication with the inlet port and outlet port. The rotor assembly includes a rotor body having a plurality of lobes formed thereon and rotatably mountable within the rotor cavity of the housing. The rotor body has a first end, substantially adjacent to the inlet port, and a second end, substantially adjacent to the outlet port, when mounted within the housing. Each of the plurality of lobes has an outer radius that is greater at the first end than at the second end. | 11-27-2008 |
| 20090004038 | Liquid-Cooled Rotor Assembly for a Supercharger - A rotor assembly for a supercharger assembly is provided. The rotor assembly includes at least one lobe defining at least one cavity. The at least one cavity is configured to contain a fluid operable to cool the at least one lobe. A supercharger incorporating the rotor assembly is also disclosed. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20090120397 | Internal Combustion Engine Starting System and Method - A starting system is provided for delivering pressurized fuel to an engine to start the engine without a starter. The starting system includes an accumulator for storing pressurized fuel during engine operation and engine shut-down. During engine start-up, the accumulator delivers the stored pressurized fuel to the engine to start the engine. The accumulator is in fluid communication with a low pressure fuel reservoir and the engine. The accumulator includes an accumulator housing defining an accumulator cavity and including an accumulator piston and spring assembly, which is moveable longitudinally within the accumulator cavity. An electronic control module (ECM) is in electronic control with the starting system and the engine. The ECM is operable to activate the accumulator, forcing pressurized fuel stored within the accumulator into a high-pressure fuel line for injection into the engine, to generate at least one starting combustion event to start the engine without a starter. | 05-14-2009 |
| 20090211552 | DRY SUMP OIL TANK ASSEMBLY FOR A VEHICLE - A dry sump oil tank assembly for a vehicle is provided with a housing defining an internal cavity. The housing is configured with a laterally-extending portion to add lateral volume to the internal cavity and has at least one internal baffle attached to the housing within the internal cavity below the laterally-extending portion and configured to reduce sloshing of oil within the cavity. The dry sump oil tank assembly is particularly useful for high performance applications, such as racing vehicles, and may utilize components from standard vehicle applications, thus maximizing the economies of scale of producing such components and being suited for a vehicle that may be typically used in standard driving conditions, but occasionally subjected to high performance use. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20090232689 | SUPERCHARGER WITH OUTLET BARS FOR ROTOR TIP SEAL SUPPORT - The invention is to reduce flutter and wear and improve the serviceability and wear life of tip seals for roots blower and screw type compressor superchargers where used for improved supercharger output and efficiency. As the seals travel over the outlet opening, the seals move outward in their slots, leading to flutter which may shorten their useful lives. As each seal reaches the center of the outlet opening, it is forced back into its groove by engaging a valley of the mating rotor with the likelihood of increased wear. The invention provides longitudinally spaced support bars extending laterally across the opening in the directions of rotation of the rotors. The support bars have inner surfaces machined with the associated rotor cavity bores and thus smoothly support the seals as they ride over the support surfaces. The support reduces the flexing of the seals and the resultant wear. Each seal contacts a support bar only during inward motion to the center of the opening where the machined bores intersect and the seal is moving into a valley of the associated rotor of the pair. To reduce edge effect wear of the seals, the width of the support bars may be made narrower from the outer edges of the outlet opening to the center, where each seal loses contact with its respective support bar. | 09-17-2009 |
| 20090260357 | SERVO-ACTUATED SUPERCHARGER OPERATING MECHANISM - The present invention provides a servo actuated operating mechanism for a lobed rotor positive displacement supercharger combining a low cost and capacity electromagnetic clutch with a small oil pump internal to the supercharger unit. The oil pump supplies on demand oil pressure from oil in a hydraulic clutch housing or the supercharger timing gear case and acts as a servomechanism to actuate an internal hydraulic clutch. The hydraulic clutch can be engaged over a much wider range of speeds and loads than is possible with an electromagnetic clutch alone. The addition of an accumulator enables even faster engagements. The electro-hydraulic servomechanism provides improved highway fuel economy relative to an electromagnetic clutch as the engagement speed could be moved to a higher rotational speed (rpm). The internal hydraulic system makes higher supercharger engagement speeds possible with a hydraulic system, but without the assembly and leak issues associated with externally plumbed engine oil system actuated clutches. | 10-22-2009 |
| 20090288648 | SUPERCHARGERS WITH DUAL INTEGRAL ROTORS - In an exemplary embodiment, a dual rotor supercharger includes a pair of rotor housings. Each housing has an air inlet end and an air outlet adjacent a drive end. Each rotor housing contains a pair of coacting rotors with a pair of engaged timing gears operative to rotate the rotors on parallel axes in their housings to pump air from the inlet ends to the outlets of their respective housings. A drive housing encloses the two pairs of timing gears connected within the drive housing for simultaneously rotating the rotors in each rotor housing for delivering air through the outlets of their respective housings. At least one drive member is directly connected with one of the rotors and operative to rotate all of the rotors through the connected timing gears. Various alternative embodiments of the superchargers and operating mechanisms are disclosed. | 11-26-2009 |
| 20100018509 | ENGINE AND SUPERCHARGER WITH LIQUID COOLED HOUSINGS - The present invention reduces the overheating of sealed oil gear cases and excessive charge air temperatures at high engine speeds in automotive supercharger use by providing liquid cooling of one or more of the housings of a supercharger. Cooling the front cover of the supercharger will reduce the gear case temperatures under boost. Cooling the bearing housing will also reduce gear case temperatures in the adjacent gear case. Cooling the rotor housing, in combination with cooling of the rotors by a separate system, will maintain more uniform clearances under continuous boost, as with racing and autobahn applications. Cooling may be by traditional liquid coolant or with oil, and with separate or combined systems. The invention discloses liquid coolant systems for controlling sealed gear case lubricant temperatures as well as supercharger charge air temperatures if desired. Combined coolant handling and flow systems and their advantages are also disclosed. An exemplary engine-supercharger combination is described and illustrated. | 01-28-2010 |
| 20100071673 | ENGINE WITH BELT/ALTERNATOR/SUPERCHARGER SYSTEM - An internal combustion engine for an automotive vehicle includes a belt, alternator, supercharger (BASC) power system having a positive displacement supercharger with coacting rotors, a belt drive from the engine to the supercharger, an overrunning clutch allowing the supercharger to overrun the belt drive, and a motor-generator connected to charge a battery when the motor-generator is overrunning the belt drive. The system allows electric overrun of the supercharger to increase engine charge air and power at low engine speeds, to electrically offset some parasitic losses and increase power at high engine speeds, to use supercharger inertia to drive the motor-generator and charge the battery during engine decelerations, and to electrically reduce belt drive loads by supplementing supercharger drive power during transmission downshifts that increase engine speed, and thus minimize “chirping” sounds due to belt slipping. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100224159 | ENGINE ASSEMBLY HAVING VARIABLE INTAKE AIR TUNING DEVICE AND TUNING METHOD - An engine intake air tuning assembly may include a housing assembly and an air flow control member. The housing assembly may include an air inlet, an air outlet, and a body portion extending therebetween. The body portion may define an air flow passage and a tuning chamber. The air flow passage may provide fluid communication between the air inlet and outlet. The air flow control member may be located within the body portion and may be displaced between first and second positions relative to the air flow passage. The air flow control member may provide a first communication path from the air flow passage to the tuning chamber when in the first position and a second communication path from the air flow passage to the tuning chamber when in the second position. The second communication path may define a greater number of openings than the first communication path. | 09-09-2010 |
| 20100252367 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAINTAINING OIL PRESSURE - An oil pump system is provided having a mechanism configured to receive oil, pressurize the oil, and output the pressurized oil. The oil pump system also includes an oil pump body configured to house the mechanism. A vent is defined by the body to purge air from the pump. Also, a device is arranged relative to the vent, and configured to close the vent when the pump body is subjected to g-forces up to a predetermined threshold magnitude. The device is additionally configured to open the vent when the pump body is subjected to g-forces exceeding the predetermined threshold magnitude, wherein air otherwise received by the pump mechanism with the oil, captured within the mechanism, and outputted with the pressurized oil is purged. | 10-07-2010 |
| 20100269797 | TUNING DEVICE WITH COMBINED BACKFLOW FUNCTION - A supercharger has an inner wall defining an inner cavity for receiving lobed rotors for rotation therein, a low-pressure inlet and a high-pressure outlet. A sound attenuator is associated with the housing and located adjacent to the high-pressure outlet. The sound attenuator has a tuner chamber and circumferentially spaced tuner ports fluidly connecting the tuner chamber with the internal cavity of the housing to define a Helmholtz resonator. A land is defined between the circumferentially spaced tuner ports such that the high-pressure outlet and low-pressure inner chambers defined between the rotor lobes and the inner wall are fluidly connected when the rotor lobes are in alignment with the land to reduce the pressure differential between the high-pressure outlet and the low-pressure inner chambers. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100269798 | INTEGRAL ROTOR NOISE ATTENUATORS - A supercharger is provided, comprising a plurality of rotatable supercharger rotors each having a plurality of interleavable lobes configured to move air from an inlet to an outlet of the supercharger. Inner chambers in the lobes define an end opening and perforated end faces, at the end openings defining at least one port, having a length and a diameter. The at least one port is configured to operate with an associated air mass in the inner chamber to attenuate sound adjacent to the end opening. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20110011367 | Apparatus and Method for Rapid Warming of the Oil in an Oil Pan of an Internal Combustion Engine - A lubrication system for an internal combustion engine includes a baffle assembly for disposition in the oil pan sump region comprising an upper flange partially closing the oil sump region having an oil pick-up well opening therethrough that is defined by a wall portion, for receipt of heated oil returning from the internal combustion engine. An oil reservoir is defined in the oil sump region by the wall portion wherein oil in the oil reservoir is separated from heated oil in the oil pickup well. A viscosity sensitive oil flow restrictive passage extends between the oil pick-up well and the oil reservoir and defines fluid communication therebetween. An oil pick-up for fluid communication with an oil pump of the internal combustion engine, and having a pick-up inlet disposed in the oil pick-up well, is configured to withdraw the heated oil therefrom. | 01-20-2011 |
| 20110067389 | VEHICLE EXHAUST HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MANAGING EXHAUST HEAT - An exhaust heat recovery system (EHRS) for a vehicle is operable to direct exhaust heat to a vehicle transmission under certain operating conditions. In some embodiments, the EHRS may also direct exhaust heat to a heater for vehicle passenger compartment. Preferably, the EHRS is controllable to manage available exhaust heat according to vehicle operating conditions, by prioritizing the heat flow among the engine, the transmission, and the vehicle heater. The EHRS may also operate in a bypass mode during which exhaust heat is not directed to the engine, the transmission or the vehicle heater. A method of managing exhaust heat recovery on a vehicle having an EHRS is also provided. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110088378 | EXHAUST HEAT RECOVERY FOR TRANSMISSION WARM-UP - An exhaust heat recovery system (EHRS) for a vehicle is provided that is operable to direct coolant heated by exhaust heat to a vehicle transmission under certain operating conditions after the engine is adequately heated by the exhaust heat and without further heating the engine with the exhaust heat. Thus, recovery of exhaust heat is increased as the transmission is heated to a higher operating temperature than the engine using the heated coolant. The EHRS may also operate in a bypass mode during which exhaust heat is not directed to the engine or the transmission. A method of managing exhaust heat is also provided. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110088672 | EXHAUST HEAT RECOVERY AND EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION WITH COMMON HEAT EXCHANGER - An apparatus for a vehicle with an engine is provided that accomplishes exhaust heat recovery and exhaust gas recirculation with a common heat exchanger used for both purposes. The apparatus includes an exhaust system through which exhaust gas is discharged from the engine. A heat exchanger is positioned within the exhaust system. Coolant flow passages are provided in thermal communication with the engine and with the heat exchanger. A bypass valve is operable in a first position to direct the exhaust gas through the heat exchanger to transfer heat to the coolant flow passages in a coolant heating mode, and operable in a second position in which the exhaust gas bypasses the heat exchanger in a bypass mode during which no significant coolant heating occurs via the heat exchanger. A portion of the exhaust gas is recirculated to the engine after cooling via the heat exchanger. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110099989 | VEHICLE EXHAUST HEAT RECOVERY WITH MULTIPLE COOLANT HEATING MODES AND METHOD OF MANAGING EXHAUST HEAT RECOVERY - An apparatus is provided for a vehicle with an engine that includes an exhaust system through which exhaust gas is discharged from the engine. A heat exchanger is positioned at least partially within the exhaust system. Coolant flow passages are provided in thermal communication with the engine and with the heat exchanger. A bypass valve is operable in a first mode to direct the exhaust gas across the heat exchanger along a first flow path to transfer exhaust heat to the coolant flow passages, and is further operable in a second mode to direct at least a portion of the exhaust gas across the heat exchanger along a second flow path to transfer exhaust heat to the coolant flow passages in a second coolant heating mode. The second flow path is restricted relative to the first flow path. A method of managing exhaust heat recovery is also provided. | 05-05-2011 |
