WO1998048155A1

WO1998048155A1 - Supercharger for internal combustion engines

Info

Publication number: WO1998048155A1
Application number: PCT/KR1998/000094
Authority: WO
Inventors: Han-Moon Park
Original assignee: Park Han Moon
Priority date: 1997-04-22
Filing date: 1998-04-21
Publication date: 1998-10-29
Also published as: KR200159757Y1; KR19980063867U; AU7083498A

Abstract

A supercharger for vehicle engines adapted to swirl air emerging from an air cleaner at a rate proportional to the running speed of a vehicle, to which the supercharger is applied, upon a combustion of fuel in a combustion chamber of the vehicle and to introduce the swirling air into the combustion chamber at a controlled flow rate. The supercharger includes a cylindrical inlet housing (10) having a lower end to which the rotating fan (40) is rotatably coupled at an upper end thereof. The cylindrical inlet housing (10) includes a plurality of uniformly spaced first guide members (11) formed on an inner surface of the cylindrical inlet housing (10) the first guide members being inclined in a desired direction, and a plurality of second guide members (12) extending radially inwardly from selected ones of the first guide members (11), respectively, the second guide members (12) being fixed to the rotating shaft casing (14) while being inclined at a desired angle. An outlet housing (15) is rotatably coupled to a lower end of the rotating fan (40) and has a truncated conical shape with a cross section decreasing as it extends downwardly. The outlet housing (15) includes a plurality of uniformly spaced third guide members (16) formed on an inner surface of the outlet housing (15) the third guide members (16) extending vertically while being inclined in the same direction as the first guide members (11).

Description

SUPE CHARGER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a supercharger for internal combustion engines, and more particularly to a supercharger for vehicle engines adapted to swirl air emerging from an air cleaner at a rate proportional to the running speed of a vehicle, to which the supercharger is applied, upon a combustion of fuel in a combustion chamber of the vehicle and to introduce the swirling air into the combustion chamber at a controlled flow rate.

Background Art

A variety of swirling devices for vehicle engines are known which serve to introduce air into a vehicle engine in a swirling state. Typically, such a swirling device is arranged between an air cleaner and an intake manifold. When intake air passes through the swirling device, it is swirled by guide vanes fixedly mounted in the swirling device, so that it is introduced into a cylinder of the engine at a high rate. Such intake air swirling devices are also known as a supercharger. Some of these intake air swirling devices or superchargers are disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 91-444 (Registration No. 41142) and U.S. Patent No. 4,962,642.

Such superchargers or intake air swirling devices have guide vanes with which intake air comes into contact, thereby being swirled. In all known superchargers or intake air swirling devices, however, the guide vanes are in a fixed state. Since the guide vanes are in a fixed state, they only function to guide intake air in a desired direction, namely, in a direction along which the intake air swirls. For this reason, it is impossible to expect an increase in the rate of intake air introduced into an engine cylinder, even though a well-mixed air/fuel mixture is obtained by virtue of the swirling intake air. Since the intake of air is accomplished only by the reciprocation of a piston arranged in the cylinder, the internal pressure of the cylinder can not increase. Although air entering the swirling device at a certain flow rate increases in flow rate when it passes through a portion of the swirling device having a reduced cross- section, it exhibits a reduced flow rate, which is the same as the initial flow rate, when it emerges from the swirling device. The introduction of the intake air into the cylinder is achieved as the intake air introduced in the swirling device is continuously shifted toward the cylinder, while coming into contact with the guide vanes, by air subsequently introduced into the swirling device.

In order to solve this problem, a supercharger has been proposed which is arranged between the air cleaner and the intake manifold of the vehicle engine and provided with rotating vanes driven by electric power supplied from a battery equipped in the vehicle. Such a supercharger is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 94-3524. Once the vehicle engine starts up, the rotating vanes of the supercharger are forcibly rotated by a drive unit, to which electric power is supplied, irrespective of the running state of the vehicle. Since this supercharger has functions of swirling air and forcibly sucking the swirling air, it is possible to increase the pressure of a gas mixture in the cylinder. However, this supercharger has a problem in that the swirling air is forcibly introduced into the cylinder irrespective of the running state of the vehicle including idle, low-speed and highspeed states.

In order to solve such a problem, another supercharger has been proposed which is adapted to forcibly supply air to the combustion chamber in an amount proportional to the current running state of the vehicle. Such a supercharger is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Publication No. 95-333. This supercharger includes rotating vanes arranged in an air path defined between the air cleaner and the intake manifold of the vehicle and supported by frictional roller members at their rotating shaft. The rotating shaft of the rotating vanes has no connection to any drive means. This supercharger swirls intake air while generating an air intake force varying in proportion to the running speed of the vehicle. Accordingly, swirling intake air is supplied to a combustion chamber defined in the combustion cylinder by a variable intake force. In the case of this supercharger, however, it is impossible to supply intake air of a completely swirling state. Furthermore, the amount of swirling air is insufficient. The inventor has proposed a supercharger capable of solving the drawback involved in Korean Utility Model Publication No. 95-333. This supercharger is disclosed in the pending Korean Utility Model Application No. 96- 40539. The supercharger is configured to obtain a smooth rotation of rotating vanes, thereby guiding a flow of intake air so as to form a swirling flow while increasing the flow rate of the intake air. Accordingly, swirling intake air is supplied to the combustion chamber of the cylinder by a maximum air intake force, thereby avoiding an incomplete combustion of fuel. Therefore, an enhancement in the engine output is expected.

However, this supercharger still has a problem in that intake air does not reach directly arcuate guide vanes .

Disclosure of the Invention

Therefore, an object of the invention is to eliminate the above mentioned problems involved in the prior art and to provide a supercharger for vehicle engine having a configuration capable of efficiently supplying intake air of a swirling state in an increased flow rate to the combustion chamber of the engine. The supercharger includes a cylindrical inlet housing configured to swirl intake air and to force the swirling air to reach directly rotating vanes, thereby accelerating the rotation of the rotating vanes. The cylindrical inlet housing includes a plurality of uniformly spaced first guide members formed on an inner surface of the cylindrical inlet housing, the first guide members extending vertically while being inclined in a desired direction, and a plurality of second guide members extending radially inwardly from lower ends of selected ones of the first guide members , respectively, each of the second guide members being fixed at an inner end thereof to an outer surface of the rotating shaft casing while being inclined at a desired angle. As the rotating vanes rotates in an accelerated manner, the amount of intake air introduced in the engine increases. The supercharger of the present invention also includes an outlet housing configured to secondarily swirl the swirling air emerging from the rotating vanes while increasing the flow rate of the swirling air. The outlet housing has a truncated conical shape with a cross-section decreasing as it extends downwardly. The outlet housing includes a plurality of uniformly spaced third guide members formed on an inner surface of the outlet housing, the third guide members extending vertically while being inclined in the same direction as the first guide members. Accordingly, intake air of a swirling state is efficiently supplied in an increased flow rate to the combustion chamber of the engine .

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other objects and aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a supercharger according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the supercharger shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating an assembled state of the supercharger shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS 4 and 5 are perspective views respectively illustrating superchargers according to other embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a connection of the supercharger of the present invention to an engine.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a supercharger according to the present invention is illustrated. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the supercharger includes a rotating shaft casing 14 in which a rotating shaft 1 is rotatably fitted. A rotating fan 40 is rotatably mounted on the rotating shaft 1. The rotating fan 40 includes a hub 50 rotatably mounted on the rotating shaft 1, a cylindrical casing 3, and a plurality of rotating vanes 2 fixed at their inner ends to the outer surface of the hub 50 and at their outer ends to the inner surface of the cylindrical casing 3.

In accordance with the present invention, the supercharger also includes a cylindrical inlet housing 10. The rotating fan 40 is rotatably fitted at its upper end in the lower end of the cylindrical inlet housing 10. A plurality of uniformly spaced first guide members 11 are formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical inlet housing 10. The first guide members 11 extend vertically while being inclined in a desired direction. A plurality of second guide members 12 extend radially inwardly from the lower ends of selected ones of the first guide members 11, respectively. The inner end of each second guide member 12 is fixed to the outer surface of the rotating shaft casing 14. The second guide members are also inclined at a desired angle.

The supercharger of the present invention further includes an outlet housing 15 rotatably coupled at its upper end to the lower end of the rotating fan 40. The outlet housing 15 has a truncated conical shape having a cross-section decreasing as it extends downwardly. A plurality of uniformly spaced third guide members 16 are formed on the inner surface of the outlet housing 15. The third guide members 16 extend vertically while being inclined in the same direction as the first guide members 11.

In FIGS. 1 and 3, the reference numeral 18 denotes a fixing clip fixedly mounted to the lower end of the rotating shaft casing 14. The reference numeral 19 denotes a bearing interposed between the rotating shaft

1 and the hub 50 of the rotating fan 40.

The supercharger having the above mentioned configuration according to the present invention is installed in the vicinity of a vehicle engine E. That is, the supercharger is arranged in an air supply pipe EP connected to the vehicle engine E.

When the engine E drives, air is sucked into the engine E by an air intake force generated from the engine E. Also, air is naturally introduced into the engine E as the vehicle runs. Such air passes through the air supply pipe EP and then enters the cylindrical inlet housing 10 of the supercharger. As the introduced air passes through the cylindrical inlet housing 10, it is swirled by the first guide members 11 formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical inlet housing 10. Along with air passing through the central portion of the cylindrical inlet housing 10, the swirling air is then guided by the second guide members 12 so that it reaches directly the rotating vanes 2 of the rotating fan 40. Accordingly, the rotating fan 40 can rotate in an accelerated manner.

That is, the air introduced in the cylindrical inlet housing 10 is swirled as it moves along the first guide members 11. The swirling air is then guided by the second guide members 12 so that it flows at an inclination given by the second guide members 12, thereby reaching directly the rotating vanes 2 of the rotating fan 40. As a result, the rotation of the rotating fan 40 is accelerated. This results in an increase in the amount and rate of introduced air.

Thus, air introduced in the cylindrical inlet housing 10 is fed to the rotating vanes 2 after being primarily swirled, thereby rotating the rotating fan 40. Thereafter, the air emerging from the rotating fan 40 is then introduced into the outlet housing 15.

The swirling air introduced in the outlet housing 15 is secondarily swirled by the third guide members 16 formed on the inner surface of the outlet housing 15 as it passes through the outlet housing 15. Since the outlet housing 15 has a cross-section decreasing as it extends downstream, the air passing through the outlet housing 15 increases gradually in flow rate in such a manner that its flow rate is maximum at the outlet of the outlet housing 15. Accordingly, air is supplied to the combustion chamber of the engine in a flow rate-increased state.

The rotating force of the rotating fan 40 is proportional to the amount of intake air which is also proportional to the running state or running speed of the engine. A desired amount of swirling intake air can be efficiently supplied to the combustion chamber, depending on the running state of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of uniformly spaced slits 30 may be formed in the inlet portion of the cylindrical inlet housing 10 in order to assist the first guide plates 11 in swirling air. Each slit 30 is arranged between adjacent first guide plates 11 while extending downstream from the inlet of the cylindrical inlet housing 10. The slits 30 have the same inclination as the first guide plates 11.

An assistant cylindrical tube 32 may be coupled to the outlet of the outlet housing 15 in order to obtain an easy coupling of the supercharger to the air supply pipe EP, as shown in FIG. 5. The assistant cylindrical tube 32 has the same diameter as the outlet of the outlet housing 15. This assistant cylindrical tube 32 may have a configuration capable of achieving an assistant function for a further increase in flow rate.

Industrial Applicability

As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a supercharger for vehicle engines which includes a cylindrical inlet housing configured to swirl intake air and to force the swirling air to reach directly rotating vanes, thereby accelerating the rotation of the rotating vanes. As the rotating vanes rotates in an accelerated manner, the amount of intake air introduced in the engine increases. The supercharger of the present invention also includes an outlet housing configured to secondarily swirl the swirling air emerging from the rotating vanes while increasing the flow rate of the swirling air. Accordingly, intake air of a swirling state is efficiently supplied in an increased flow rate to the combustion chamber of the engine.

In accordance with the present invention, intake air is swirled prior to a rotation of the rotating vanes so that the swirling air is used to rotate the rotating vanes. The swirling air emerging from the rotating vanes is swirled again, thereby achieving an increase in flow rate. Accordingly, intake air of an optimum state is supplied to the combustion chamber of the engine. Thus, a complete combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber can be expected. In addition, there is no drive unit for driving the rotating vanes because the rotating vanes are rotated by the intake air.

Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A supercharger for a vehicle engine comprising a rotating shaft casing, in which a rotating shaft is rotatably fitted, and a rotating fan rotatably mounted on the rotating shaft, the rotating fan including a hub rotatably mounted on the rotating shaft, a cylindrical casing, and a plurality of rotating vanes fixed at inner ends thereof to an outer surface of the hub and at outer ends thereof to an inner surface of the cylindrical casing, further comprising: a cylindrical inlet housing having, at a lower end thereof, an outlet, to which the rotating fan is rotatably coupled at an upper end thereof; a plurality of uniformly spaced first guide members formed on an inner surface of the cylindrical inlet housing, the first guide members extending vertically while being inclined in a desired direction; a plurality of second guide members extending radially inwardly from lower ends of selected ones of the first guide members, respectively, each of the second guide members being fixed at an inner end thereof to an outer surface of the rotating shaft casing while being inclined at a desired angle; an outlet housing rotatably coupled at an upper end thereof to a lower end of the rotating fan, the outlet housing having a truncated conical shape with a cross- section decreasing as it extends downwardly; and a plurality of uniformly spaced third guide members formed on an inner surface of the outlet housing, the third guide members extending vertically while being inclined in the same direction as the first guide members.

2. The supercharger in accordance with Claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of uniformly spaced slits formed in an inlet portion of the cylindrical inlet housing, each of the slits being arranged between adjacent first guide plates while having the same inclination as the first guide plates.

3. The supercharger in accordance with Claim 1, further comprising: an assistant cylindrical tube coupled to an outlet of the outlet housing, the assistant cylindrical tube having the same diameter as the outlet of the outlet housing.