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US 9,038,383 B2Granted
Flywheel assembly for a turbocharger
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorEvan Earl Jacobson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flywheel assembly for a turbocharger a rotatable flywheel shaft that is separate from a turbocharger shaft, and a flywheel body coupled to the flywheel shaft. A flywheel sensor determines a flywheel operating parameter and supplies a flywheel feedback signal indicative of the flywheel operating parameter, and a flywheel clutch selectively couples the flywheel shaft to the turbocharger shaft. A controller operates the flywheel clutch based on the flywheel feedback signal. The flywheel shaft and flywheel body may be disposed in a flywheel housing that is separate and spaced from a turbocharger housing.
Claims20
A method of operating a turbocharger disposed in a turbocharger housing, comprising:
- directing exhaust flow from an engine through a turbine, thereby to rotate the turbine;
- mechanically coupling a compressor to the turbine so that the compressor rotates with the turbine and forms the turbocharger, the compressor being disposed in an air intake and configured to receive air from atmosphere and provide compressed air to the engine;
- providing a rotatable flywheel in a flywheel housing that is separate and spaced from the turbocharger housing;
- determining an actual turbocharger speed;
- determining an actual flywheel speed;
- and
- selectively mechanically coupling the flywheel to the turbocharger based on the actual turbocharger speed and the actual flywheel speed based on:
- a first mode of operation in which the actual flywheel speed is below a first flywheel speed threshold and the actual turbocharger speed is above a first turbocharger speed threshold, thereby to supply energy from the turbine to the flywheel;
- a second mode of operation in which the actual flywheel speed is above a second flywheel speed threshold and the actual turbocharger speed is below a second turbocharger speed threshold, thereby to supply energy from the flywheel to the turbine.
6 more elements
A flywheel assembly for a turbocharger having a turbocharger housing, a turbine disposed in the turbocharger housing, a compressor disposed in the turbocharger housing, and a turbocharger shaft interconnecting the turbine and the compressor in a rotationally fixed manner, the flywheel assembly comprising:
- a flywheel housing separate and spaced from the turbocharger housing;
- a flywheel shaft rotatably supported by the flywheel housing and separate from the turbocharger shaft;
- a flywheel body coupled to the flywheel shaft and disposed in the flywheel housing;
- a flywheel sensor configured to determine a flywheel operating parameter and supply a flywheel feedback signal indicative of the flywheel operating parameter;
- a turbocharger sensor configured to determine a turbocharger operating parameter and supply a turbocharger feedback signal indicative of the turbocharger operating parameter;
- a flywheel clutch configured to selectively couple the flywheel shaft to the turbocharger shaft;
- and
- a controller operably coupled to the flywheel clutch, the turbocharger sensor, and the flywheel sensor and configured to operate the flywheel clutch based on the flywheel feedback signal and the turbocharger feedback signal, the controller further being configured to:
- operate in a first mode to engage the flywheel clutch when the flywheel feedback signal is below a first flywheel feedback threshold and the turbocharger feedback signal is above a first turbocharger feedback threshold, thereby to supply energy from the turbocharger shaft to the flywheel shaft;
- and
- operate in a second mode to engage the flywheel clutch when the flywheel feedback signal is above a second flywheel feedback threshold and the turbocharger feedback signal is below a second turbocharger feedback threshold, thereby to supply energy from the flywheel shaft to the turbocharger shaft.
8 more elements
A machine comprising:
- an internal combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders, each cylinder having at least one inlet opening and at least one exhaust gas opening;
- an intake manifold fluidly communicating with each inlet opening;
- an exhaust manifold fluidly communicating with each exhaust gas opening;
- a turbocharger including:
- a turbocharger housing;
- a turbine disposed in the turbocharger housing and having a turbine inlet fluidly communicating with the exhaust manifold and a turbine outlet fluidly communicating with atmosphere;
- a compressor disposed in the turbocharger housing having a compressor inlet fluidly communicating to atmosphere and a compressor outlet fluidly communicating with the intake manifold;
- a turbocharger shaft interconnecting the turbine and the compressor in a rotationally fixed manner;
- and
- a turbocharger sensor configured to determine a turbocharger operating parameter and supply a turbocharger feedback signal indicative of the turbocharger operating parameter;
- a flywheel assembly including:
- a flywheel housing separate and spaced from the turbocharger housing;
- a flywheel shaft rotatably supported by the flywheel housing and separate from the turbocharger shaft;
- a flywheel body coupled to the flywheel shaft and disposed in the flywheel housing;
- a flywheel sensor configured to determine a flywheel operating parameter and supply a flywheel feedback signal indicative of the flywheel operating parameter;
- and
- a flywheel clutch configured to selectively couple the flywheel shaft to the turbocharger shaft;
- and
- a controller operably coupled to the flywheel clutch, the flywheel sensor, and the turbocharger sensor, the controller configured to operate the flywheel clutch based on the flywheel feedback signal and the turbocharger feedback signal, the controller further being configured to:
- operate in a first mode to engage the flywheel clutch when the flywheel feedback signal is below a first flywheel feedback threshold and the turbocharger feedback signal is above a first turbocharger feedback threshold, thereby to supply energy from the turbocharger shaft to the flywheel shaft;
- and
- operate in a second mode to engage the flywheel clutch when the flywheel feedback signal is above a second flywheel feedback threshold and the turbocharger feedback signal is below a second turbocharger feedback threshold, thereby to supply energy from the flywheel shaft to the turbocharger shaft.
19 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.