# US 9,435,254 B2 · Supercharged internal combustion engine, and method for operating an internal combustion engine of said type > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,435,254 B2 - Document ID: US9435254B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/419,014 - Filed: 2012-03-13 - Published: 2012-09-27 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2011-03-25 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Kai Sebastian Kuhlbach; Norbert Andreas Schorn; Rainer Friedfeldt; Guenter Bartsch - Inventors: Kai Sebastian Kuhlbach; Norbert Andreas Schorn; Rainer Friedfeldt; Guenter Bartsch - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9435254B2 ## CPC - F02B 37/007: with exhaust-driven pumps arranged in parallel {, e.g. at least one pump supplying alternatively} - F01L 1/26: characterised by the provision of two or more valves operated simultaneously by same transmitting-gear; peculiar to machines or engines with more than two lift-valves per cylinder (with coaxial valves F01L1/28) - F02B 37/02: Gas passages between engine outlet and pump drive, e.g. reservoirs - F02B 37/025: {Multiple scrolls or multiple gas passages guiding the gas to the pump drive} - F02D 13/0257: {Independent control of two or more intake or exhaust valves respectively, i.e. one of two intake valves remains closed or is opened partially while the other is fully opened} - F02D 23/02: the engines being of fuel-injection type - F01L 1/34: characterised by the provision of means for changing the timing of the valves without changing the duration of opening {and without affecting the magnitude of the valve lift} - F01L 13/00: Modifications of valve-gear to facilitate reversing, braking, starting, changing compression ratio, or other specific operations - F01N 13/107: {More than one exhaust manifold or exhaust collector} - F02B 37/18: by bypassing exhaust {from the inlet to the outlet of turbine or to the atmosphere} - Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - F01L: CYCLICALLY OPERATING VALVES FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) - F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A supercharged internal combustion engine having at least two exhaust-gas turbochargers is provided. The engine includes a first exhaust manifold and a second exhaust manifold which are permanently connected to one another upstream of the two turbines of the turbochargers via at least one connecting duct which cannot be closed off. In this way, overflow of exhaust from the one exhaust manifold may be transferred to the other exhaust manifold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A supercharged internal combustion engine, comprising: at least one cylinder head with at least two cylinders, wherein each cylinder has at least two outlet openings for discharging exhaust gases, at least one of which outlet openings is designed as an activatable outlet opening, and each outlet opening is adjoined by an exhaust line having a smallest cross section ACross,Ex; a first exhaust manifold in which the exhaust lines of the activatable outlet openings of the at least two cylinders merge, to form a first overall exhaust line which is connected to a turbine of a first exhaust-gas turbocharger; a second exhaust manifold in which the exhaust lines of the other outlet openings of the at least two cylinders merge, to form a second overall exhaust line which is connected to a turbine of a second exhaust-gas turbocharger, wherein the first exhaust manifold and the second exhaust manifold are permanently connected to one another upstream of the two turbines via at least one connecting duct which is permanently open, wherein the at least one connecting duct is integrated into the cylinder head, and wherein a smallest cross section ACross,C of the at least one connecting duct is smaller than ACross,Ex; and a bypass line connecting the first exhaust manifold to the second exhaust manifold including a shut off element arranged in the bypass line, the bypass line positioned downstream of the cylinder head and upstream of the first exhaust-gas turbocharger and the second exhaust-gas turbocharger. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one connecting duct forms a throttle point which leads to a pressure reduction in exhaust-gas flow passing through the at least one connecting duct. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the following relationship applies: ACross,C≦0.2 ACross,Ex. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the following relationship applies: ACross,C≦0.1 ACross,Ex. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the following relationship applies: ACross,C≦0.05 ACross,Ex. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one connecting duct branches off from an exhaust line of the second exhaust manifold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one connecting duct branches off from the second overall exhaust line of the second exhaust manifold. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the exhaust lines of the at least two cylinders merge to form the two overall exhaust lines within the cylinder head. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one cylinder head is connected to the turbines of the two exhaust-gas turbochargers via a connecting piece. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one connecting duct is integrated into the connecting piece. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, in which the at least one cylinder head is connected at an assembly end side to a cylinder block and in which the exhaust lines of the at least two cylinders merge to form the two overall exhaust lines within the cylinder head, wherein one overall exhaust line is arranged on that side of the other overall exhaust line which faces away from the assembly end side. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 11, wherein one of the first and second exhaust-gas turbochargers is arranged laterally adjacent to the cylinder head and the other exhaust-gas turbocharger is arranged laterally adjacent to the cylinder block. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The supercharged internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a controller including instructions to activate the activatable outlet openings, which are deactivated in the case of a low exhaust-gas quantity, when the exhaust-gas quantity exceeds a predefinable exhaust-gas quantity. ### Claim 14 An engine system, comprising: at least one cylinder head with at least two in-line cylinders, each cylinder having a first and second exhaust port, each exhaust port adjoined by an exhaust line having a smallest cross section ACross,Ex; a first integrated exhaust manifold directing exhaust from the first exhaust port of each cylinder to a first turbocharger; a second integrated exhaust manifold directing exhaust from the second exhaust port of each cylinder to a second turbocharger; and a connecting duct coupling the first and second integrated exhaust manifolds upstream of the first and second turbochargers, wherein the connecting duct is integrated into the cylinder head, and wherein a smallest cross section ACross,C of the connecting duct is smaller than ACross,Ex. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The engine system of claim 14, further comprising a shut-off element arranged in a bypass line between the first and second turbochargers and downstream of the cylinder head, the shut-off element configured to open in order to divert a portion of the exhaust from the first integrated exhaust manifold to the second turbocharger. ### Claim 16 A method for an engine having a first and second turbocharger, comprising: directing exhaust gas from the engine to the first turbocharger via a first integrated exhaust manifold; and during select conditions, directing a first portion of the exhaust gas via the first integrated exhaust manifold to the second turbocharger via a permanently open connecting line integrated in a cylinder head, and directing a second portion of the exhaust gas via a second integrated exhaust manifold to the second turbocharger, wherein a smallest cross section ACross,C of the connecting line is smaller than a smallest cross section ACross,Ex of an exhaust line. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the select conditions comprise engine speed and load above a threshold, the method further comprising directing another portion of the exhaust gas via another bypass line from the first turbocharger to the second turbocharger via a shut-off element arranged in the bypass line, said another bypass line arranged downstream of the cylinder head. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein directing the first portion of the exhaust gas via the first integrated manifold to the second turbocharger further comprises opening a shut-off element in a bypass line between the first and second turbochargers.