Engine based kinetic energy recovery system for vehicles
AssigneeInternational Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC
InventorsGerald L. Larson, Paul W. O'Malley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motor vehicle kinetic energy recovery system uses one or more cylinders of an internal combustion engine as the first or primary stage in a multi-stage high pressure air compression system, a compressed air storage system, compressed air operated drive train boosters and vehicle management electronics to provide cooperation between the air compression, storage and booster systems. The multi-stage, high pressure air compressor system is operable through engine compression braking allowing kinetic energy of a vehicle to be recaptured during retardation of vehicle speed.
Claims15
A motor vehicle comprising:
- an air storage tank mounted on the motor vehicle;
- a drive train including a transmission and an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, an exhaust pipe from each cylinder and a crank shaft for turning the a transmission;
- a multi-stage compressor including at least a first cylinder of the internal combustion engine for operation as a low pressure compression stage to pump air to the exhaust pipe for the first cylinder and a high pressure stage coupled to the exhaust pipe for the first cylinder for actuation and an outlet from the high pressure stage connected to supply high pressure air to the air storage tank;
- a controllable discharge valve from the air storage tank;
- and
- a drive train booster connected by the controllable discharge valve to the air storage tank for receiving pressurized air.
A vehicle comprising:
- an engine controller
- a drive train including a transmission, an engine having a plurality of cylinders, and an output shaft from the engine, the engine having at least one cylinder which is operated as non-firing air pumps under the control of the engine controller;
- exhaust pipes from the cylinders;
- a shutter valve located in the exhaust pipe for said at least one cylinder which is diverted to operation as an air pump, the shutter valve being positionable to retard exhaust of air pumped from the cylinder;
- a fluid amplifier having an input communicating with the exhaust pipe between the cylinder and the shutter valve to operate as second stage high compression fluid pump;
- a high pressure storage tank connected to the fluid amplifier to receive compressed fluid;
- and
- a drive train booster connected to the high pressure storage tank to receive compressed fluid.
A kinetic energy recovery system for a vehicle, comprising:
- an internal combustion engine having a plurality of combustion cylinders and exhaust ports from the combustion cylinders;
- a vehicle drive train connected to the internal combustion engine as prime mover for the vehicle drive train;
- a multi-stage air compression system;
- at least one of said plurality of combustion cylinders of the internal combustion engine being available as a a low pressure stage in the multi-stage air compression system;
- a high pressure stage for the multi-stage compression system actuated by operation of the low pressure stage for pumping air;
- compressed air storage coupled to receive air pumped from the high pressure stage;
- a compressed air operated drive train booster coupled by a pressure regulating valve to the compressed air storage;
- a controller area network;
- sensors distributed about the vehicle providing vehicle information for distribution on the controller area network;
- and
- a body controller and an engine controller coupled to receive information on the controller area network and responsive thereto for coordinating operation of the multi-stage air compression system, the compressed air storage and the drive train booster.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.