Supercharged internal combustion engine with intake port timing shutters controlling the air mass flowing into the supercharger

A supercharged internal combustion engine comprising:

• an internal combustion engine having at least one combustion chamber for accommodating an air mass and fuel,
• a supercharger operable to supply varying amounts of air mass to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine in response to varying power requirements of the internal combustion engine,
• a first power transmission drivably connecting the internal combustion engine to the supercharger,
• said supercharger comprising
• a housing having a first end and a second end opposite the first end and a chamber located between the first end and the second end,
• a male rotor located in the chamber of the housing,
• a female rotor located in the chamber of the housing,
• said male rotor and the female rotor having cooperating helical vanes and helical grooves whereby concurrent rotation of the male rotor and the female rotor in opposite directions moves an air mass through the supercharger to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine,
• a first end member connected to the first end of the housing,
• a second end member connected to the second end of the housing,
• said male rotor and the female rotor having shafts rotatably mounted on the first end member and the second end member to rotatably retain the male rotor and the female rotor in the chamber of the housing,
• said first end member having a plurality of first openings allowing an air mass to flow into the chamber of the housing adjacent the male rotor and a plurality of second openings allowing an air mass to flow into the chamber of the housing adjacent the female rotor,
• said first end member having a first surface spaced from the chamber of the housing,
• a plate mounted on the first end member, said plate having a second surface laterally spaced from and parallel to the first surface, and third openings aligned with the first openings allowing an air mass to flow into the plurality of first openings and to the chamber of the housing,
• a first shutter movably mounted on the first end member operable for selectively opening or closing one or more of the third openings to regulate an amount of air mass flowing into the chamber of the housing adjacent the male rotor,
• a second shutter movably mounted on the first end member operable for selectively opening or closing one or more of the plurality of second openings to regulate the amount of air mass flowing into the chamber of the housing adjacent the female rotor,
• a second power transmission operatively connecting the first shutter to the second shutter operable to concurrently rotate the first shutter and the second shutter in opposite directions to concurrently open or close one or more of the third openings and one or more of the plurality of second openings thereby regulating the amount of air mass moved into the chamber of the housing and introduced into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine by the rotating male and female rotors,
• a drive device to operate the second power transmission to concurrently rotate the first shutter and the second shutter in opposite directions, and
• an electronic processor operatively connected to the drive device for providing command signals relating to the varying power requirements of the internal combustion engine for operating the drive device to operate the second power transmission to concurrently rotate the first shutter and the second shutter to vary the amount of air mass moving into the chamber of the housing and compressed by the male rotor and the female rotor according to the varying power requirements of the internal combustion engine.

A supercharged internal combustion engine comprising:

• an internal combustion engine having at least one combustion chamber for accommodating an air mass and fuel,
• a supercharger operable to supply varying amounts of an air mass to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine in response to varying operating power requirements of the internal combustion engine,
• a power unit for operating the supercharger in relation to the varying operating power requirements of the internal combustion engine,
• said supercharger including
• a housing having a first end, a second end opposite the first end and a first chamber located between the first end and the second end,
• a first end member connected to the first end of the housing,
• a second end member connected to the second end of the housing,
• a first rotor rotatably mounted on the first end member and the second end member and located in the first chamber,
• a second rotor rotatably mounted on the first end member and the second end member and located in the first chamber adjacent the first rotor,
• said first rotor having helical vanes and the second rotor having helical grooves cooperating with the helical vanes whereby concurrent rotation of the first rotor and the second rotor in opposite directions moves an air mass through the supercharger to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine,
• a casing secured to the first end member, said casing having a second chamber and an air mass inlet passage to allow an atmospheric air mass to flow into the second chamber,
• said first end member having a plurality of first openings and a plurality of second openings allowing an air mass to flow from the second chamber to the first chamber,
• a first shutter movably retained on the first end member for selectively opening or closing one or more of the plurality of first openings,
• a second shutter movably retained on the first end member for selectively opening or closing one or more of the plurality of second openings,
• a power transmission located in the second chamber operable to concurrently move the first shutter and the second shutter in opposite directions to concurrently open or close the one or more of the plurality of first openings and the one or more of the plurality of second openings to regulate an amount of air mass flowing from the first chamber to the second chamber,
• a drive device operably connected to the power transmission for actuating the power transmission to concurrently move the first shutter and the second shutter, and
• an electronic processor operatively connected to the drive device for providing command signals relating to the varying operating power requirements of the internal combustion engine for operating the drive device to operate the power transmission to concurrently move the first shutter and the second shutter to vary the amount of air mass according to the operating power requirements of the internal combustion engine moving from the second chamber to the first chamber, said air mass in the first chamber being moved and compressed by the rotating first and second rotors and directed to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine.

An apparatus for moving varying amounts of an air mass comprising:

• a housing having a first end, a second end opposite the first end and a chamber between the first end and the second end,
• a male rotor located in the chamber of the housing,
• a female rotor located in the chamber,
• said male rotor having helical vanes and said female rotor having helical grooves cooperating with the helical vanes whereby concurrent rotation of the male rotor and the female rotor moves an air mass through the chamber of the housing to a remote location,
• a first end member secured to the first end of the housing,
• a second end member secured to the second end of the housing,
• the male rotor and the female rotor having shafts rotatably mounted on the first end member and the second end member to rotatably retain the male rotor and the female rotor in the chamber of the housing,
• the first end member having a plurality of first openings allowing an air mass to flow into the chamber of the housing adjacent the male rotor,
• the first end member having a plurality of second openings allowing an air mass to flow into the chamber of the housing adjacent the female rotor,
• a first shutter movably mounted on the first end member operable for selectively and sequentially opening one or more of the plurality of first openings while a remainder of the plurality of first openings remain closed to regulate timing of an intake port closing event relative to an increasing rotor volume in order to vary a duration of the intake port closing event to vary an amount of air mass flowing into the chamber of the housing,
• a second shutter movably mounted on the first end member operable for selectively and sequentially opening one or more of the plurality of second openings while a remainder of the plurality of second openings remain closed to regulate timing of the intake port closing event relative to the increasing rotor volume in order to vary the duration of the intake port closing event to vary the amount of air mass flowing into the chamber of the housing, and
• a power transmission operably connected to the first shutter and the second shutter to concurrently and sequentially open or close the one or more of the plurality of first openings and the one or more of the plurality of second openings whereby the first shutter and the second shutter are synchronized to regulate timing of the intake port closing event relative to the increasing rotor volume in order to vary the duration of the intake port closing event to vary the amount of air mass moving into the chamber of the housing.

An apparatus for moving varying amounts of an air mass comprising:

• a housing having a first end, a second end opposite the first end and a chamber between the first end and the second end,
• a male rotor located in the chamber of the housing,
• a female rotor located in the chamber,
• the male rotor having helical vanes and the female rotor having helical grooves cooperating with the helical vanes whereby concurrent rotation of the male rotor and the female rotor moves an air mass through the chamber of the housing to a remote location,
• a first end member secured to the first end of the housing,
• a second end member secured to the second end of the housing,
• the male rotor and the female rotor having shafts rotatably mounted on the first end member and the second end member to rotatably retain the male rotor and the female rotor in the chamber of the housing,
• the first end member having a plurality of first openings allowing an air mass to flow into the chamber of the housing adjacent the male rotor,
• the first end member having a plurality of second openings allowing an air mass to flow into the chamber of the housing adjacent the female rotor,
• a first shutter movably mounted on the first end member for selectively opening or closing one or more of the plurality of first openings to regulate an amount of air mass flowing into the chamber of the housing,
• a second shutter movably mounted on the first end member operable for selectively opening or closing one or more of the plurality of second openings to regulate the amount of air mass flowing into the chamber of the housing, and
• a power transmission operably connected to the first shutter and the second shutter to concurrently open or close the one or more plurality of first openings and the one or more plurality of second openings whereby the first shutter and the second shutter regulate the amount of air mass moving into the chamber of the housing,
• the first end member including a first proximal surface and a second proximal surface,
• the first shutter including a first blade located adjacent to the first proximal surface operable to selectively close the one or more plurality of first openings,
• the second shutter including a second blade located adjacent to the second proximal surface operable to selectively close the one or more of the plurality of second openings,
• the first end member including a first tubular boss adjacent the first blade,
• said first shutter including a first cylindrical sleeve rotatably mounted on the first tubular boss,
• the first end member including a second tubular boss adjacent the second blade, and
• said second shutter including a second cylindrical sleeve rotatably mounted on the second tubular boss.

An apparatus for moving varying amounts of an air mass comprising:

• a housing having a first end, a second end opposite the first end and a chamber between the first end and the second end,
• a male rotor located in the chamber of the housing,
• a female rotor located in the chamber,
• the male rotor having helical vanes and the female rotor having helical grooves cooperating with the helical vanes whereby concurrent rotation of the male rotor and the female rotor moves an air mass through the chamber of the housing to a remote location,
• a first end member secured to the first end of the housing,
• a second end member secured to the second end of the housing,
• the male rotor and the female rotor having shafts rotatably mounted on the first end member and the second end member to rotatably retain the male rotor and the female rotor in the chamber of the housing,
• the first end member having a plurality of first openings allowing an air mass to flow into the chamber of the housing adjacent the male rotor,
• the first end member having a plurality of second openings allowing an air mass to flow into the chamber of the housing adjacent the female rotor,
• a first shutter movably mounted on the first end member for selectively opening or closing one or more of the plurality of first openings to regulate an amount of air mass flowing into the chamber of the housing,
• a second shutter movably mounted on the first end member operable for selectively opening or closing one or more of the plurality of second openings to regulate the amount of air mass flowing into the chamber of the housing, and
• a power transmission operably connected to the first shutter and the second shutter to concurrently open or close the one or more plurality of first openings and the one or more plurality of second openings whereby the first shutter and the second shutter regulate the amount of air mass moving into the chamber of the housing,
• the male rotor including a proximal transverse end and a distal transverse end,
• a plurality of first passages in the proximal transverse end of the male rotor for venting air mass from adjacent the proximal transverse end of the male rotor, and
• a plurality of second passages in the distal transverse end of the male rotor for venting air mass from adjacent the distal end of the male rotor.

An apparatus for moving varying amounts of an air mass comprising:

• a housing having a first end, a second end opposite the first end and a first chamber located between the first end and the second end,
• a first end member connected to the first end of the housing,
• a second end member connected to the second end of the housing,
• a first rotor rotatably mounted on the first end member and the second end member and located in the first chamber,
• a second rotor rotatably mounted on the first end member and the second end member and located in the first chamber adjacent the first rotor,
• said first rotor having helical vanes and the second rotor having helical grooves cooperating with the helical vanes whereby concurrent rotation of the first rotor and the second rotor moves an air mass through the first chamber of the housing,
• a casing secured to the first end member, said casing having a second chamber and an air mass inlet passage to allow an atmospheric air mass to flow into the second chamber,
• said first end member having at least one first opening and at least one second opening allowing an air mass to flow from the second chamber to the first chamber,
• a first shutter movably retained on the first end member for selectively opening or closing the at least one first opening,
• a second shutter movably retained on the first end member for selectively opening or closing the at least one second opening,
• a power transmission located in the second chamber operable to concurrently move the first shutter and the second shutter to concurrently open or close the at least one first opening and the at least one second opening to regulate an amount of air mass flowing from the first chamber to the second chamber, and
• a drive device operably connected to the power transmission for actuating the power transmission to concurrently move the first shutter and the second shutter.