# US 10,480,400 B2 · Air supercharging device for an internal combustion engine > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,480,400 B2 - Document ID: US10480400B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/066,436 - Filed: 2017-02-06 - Published: 2019-05-23 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-02-08 - Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Francois Plante - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480400B2 ## CPC - F02B 39/005: {Cooling of pump drives} - F01D 25/12: Cooling - F01P 5/04: Pump-driving arrangements - F02B 39/10: electric - F04D 17/10: for compressing or evacuating - F04D 25/06: the pump being electrically driven (F04D25/08 takes precedence) - F04D 29/5806: {Cooling the drive system} - F04D 29/5813: {Cooling the control unit} - F01P 2060/12: Turbo charger - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D) - F01P: COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with cooling of propulsion units in vehicles B60K11/00; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials C09K5/00; {cooling of gas-turbine engines F02C7/12}; heat exchange in general, radiators F28) - F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02) ## Abstract An air supercharging device is provided for an internal combustion engine. The air supercharging device includes an air inlet, an electrical compressor, a heat exchanger and a cooling circuit. The cooling circuit includes an air intake conduit and an air recirculation conduit. The intake conduit extends between the outlet of the heat exchanger and the electrical compressor. The cooling circuit is configured to capture a fraction of the cooled compressed air. The air recirculation conduit extends between the electrical compressor and adjacent an inlet of the intake manifold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A supercharging device for supercharging an internal combustion engine, the supercharging device comprising: an air inlet, an electric compressor arranged to compress air coming from the air inlet; a heat exchanger arranged to cool compressed air coming from the compressor, the cooled compressed air flowing toward an intake manifold of the internal combustion engine; and a cooling circuit arranged to cool at least one of the electric compressor and a control device of the electric compressor, the cooling circuit comprising an air-conveying pipe arranged to convey air to at least one of the electric compressor and the control device, the air-conveying pipe extending between an outlet of the heat exchanger and at least one of the electric compressor and the control device, so as to be able to pick up cooled compressed air, and an air recirculation pipe extending between at least one of the electric compressor and the control device and adjacent an inlet of the intake manifold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The supercharging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electric compressor comprises an electric machine (8) installed in a casing, and the cooling circuit comprises at least part of an inside of the casing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The supercharging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device comprises a housing in which at least one item of power electronics is housed, and in that the cooling circuit comprises at least part of an inside of the housing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The supercharging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recirculation pipe opens out adjacent the inlet of the intake manifold so as to form a junction orthogonal to a direction of a flow of the cooled compressed air adjacent the junction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The supercharging device as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising a control means arranged to control a quantity of the cooled compressed air allowed to circulate in the cooling circuit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The supercharging device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control means comprises a solenoid valve. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The supercharging device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the solenoid valve (60) is arranged in the cooling circuit adjacent the outlet (47) of the heat exchanger. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The supercharging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electric compressor comprises a rotor having vanes that generate a forced air stream through the cooling circuit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) A control method for controlling the supercharging device as claimed in claim 5 and further comprising: acquiring a value indicative of a compressor temperature gee); comparing the value indicative of the compressor temperature against at least one activation value; determining an opening value for opening of the cooling circuit, commanding the control means as a function of the opening value that was determined so as to control the quantity of the cooled compressed air allowed to circulate in the cooling circuit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The control method as claimed in claim 9, and further comprising comparing the value indicative of the compressor temperature against at least one deactivation value; determining a closing value for closing the cooling circuit, the commanding of the control means also being a function of the closing value that was determined. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The control method as claimed in claim 9, and further comprising determining a pressure gradient value for a pressure gradient associated with the cooling circuit, the commanding of the control means also being a function of the pressure gradient value, so that when the pressure gradient value is below a predetermined threshold value, the control means at least partially prevents circulation of the cooled compressed air in the cooling circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A motor vehicle comprising the supercharging device as claimed in claim 1.