COMPRESSOR FOR A CHARGING DEVICE OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, THROTTLE MODULE, AND CHARGING DEVICE FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

Abstract

A compressor for an internal combustion engine supercharging device is disclosed, having a compressor housing in which a compressor wheel is arranged on a rotor shaft; and an air-feed channel for conducting an air flow to the compressor wheel. The compressor has a throttle module, having an iris diaphragm mechanism arranged upstream of the compressor wheel, multiple lamellae and which closes or opens a diaphragm aperture by the lamellae, allowing variable adjustment of a cross-section for the air flow to the compressor wheel. A throttle module housing at least partially delimits the air-feed channel and in and/or on which the iris diaphragm mechanism is mounted. An actuator is mounted on the throttle module housing and mechanically coupled to the iris diaphragm mechanism for actuation thereof. The throttle module is formed as a structural unit separate from the compressor housing and flange-mounted on the compressor housing by the throttle module housing.

Claims

1. A compressor for a supercharging device of an internal combustion engine, comprising: a compressor housing, in which a compressor wheel is arranged rotationally conjointly on a rotatably mounted rotor shaft; an air feed channel for conducting an air mass flow onto the compressor wheel; and a throttle module, which has an iris diaphragm mechanism which is arranged upstream of the compressor wheel, which has multiple lamellae and which is configured to close or open a diaphragm aperture by the lamellae, thus allowing variable adjustment of a flow cross section for the air mass flow for admission to the compressor wheel; a throttle module housing which at least partially delimits the air feed channel and in and/or on which the iris diaphragm mechanism is arranged and mounted; and an actuator which is mounted on the throttle module housing and which is mechanically coupled to the iris diaphragm mechanism for the actuation thereof; wherein the throttle module is formed as a structural unit which is separate from the compressor housing and which is flange-mounted on the compressor housing by the throttle module housing.

2. The compressor as claimed in the preceding claim 1, wherein the throttle module housing is fixed to the compressor housing by at least one screw connection and/or one clamping connection.

3. The compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein a seal is formed in a flange region between the throttle module housing and the compressor housing.

4. The compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein a damper element is arranged in a flange region between the throttle module housing and the compressor housing.

5. The compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the throttle module housing and/or the compressor housing has, in a flange region between the throttle module housing and the compressor housing, a groove for receiving a seal and/or a damper element.

6. The compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator is mechanically coupled via an opening in the throttle module housing to the iris diaphragm mechanism for actuation thereof, wherein the actuator is arranged on the throttle module housing such that the opening is closed off in sealed fashion by the actuator.

7. The compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator is mechanically coupled by a coupling mechanism to an adjustable adjusting ring of the iris diaphragm mechanism for closing or opening the diaphragm aperture.

8. The compressor as claimed in claim 7, wherein the actuator is fixed a holder to the throttle module housing, and the coupling mechanism is at least partially exposed to outside.

9. The compressor as claimed in claim 7, wherein the coupling mechanism is arranged within the throttle module housing, which is closed off in sealed fashion to outside by the actuator.

10. A throttle module for a compressor of a supercharging device of an internal combustion engine, comprising: an iris diaphragm mechanism which is arranged upstream of a compressor wheel, which has multiple lamellae and which is configured to close or open a diaphragm aperture, thus allowing variable adjustment of a flow cross section for the air mass flow for admission to the compressor wheel; a throttle module housing which at least partially delimits an air feed channel and in which the iris diaphragm mechanism is arranged and mounted; and an actuator which is mounted on the throttle module housing and which is mechanically coupled to the iris diaphragm mechanism for actuation thereof; wherein the throttle module is formed as a structural unit which is separate from a compressor housing of the compressor such that the throttle module is flange-mounted on the compressor housing.

11. A supercharging device for an internal combustion engine, having a rotor bearing in which a rotor shaft is rotatably mounted, comprising a compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supercharging device is configured as an exhaust-gas turbocharger, as an electromotively operated supercharger, or as a supercharger operated via a mechanical coupling to the internal combustion engine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Example embodiments of the invention will be described below with the aid of the appended figures. Identical elements or elements of identical action are provided with the same reference designations throughout the figures.

[0042] In the figures:

[0043] FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a supercharging device with a compressor with an iris diaphragm mechanism,

[0044] FIGS. 2A to 2C show schematic plan views of the iris diaphragm mechanism in three different states, and

[0045] FIGS. 3 to 5 show schematic cross-sectional views of compressors with throttle module according to example embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] FIG. 1 schematically shows, in a sectional illustration, an example of a supercharging device 1, which includes a compressor 30 (a radial compressor in this case), a rotor bearing 40 and a drive unit 20. The compressor 30 has an optional overrun air recirculation valve (not illustrated), and an air mass flow LM is also indicated by arrows. A so-called supercharger rotor 10 of the supercharging device 1 has a compressor impeller 13 (also referred to as compressor wheel) and a rotor shaft 14 (also referred to as shaft). The supercharger rotor 10 rotates about a rotor axis of rotation 15 of the rotor shaft 14 during operation. The rotor axis of rotation 15 and at the same time the supercharger axis 2 (also referred to as longitudinal axis) are illustrated by the indicated center line and identify the axial orientation of the supercharging device 1. The supercharger rotor 10 is mounted with its rotor shaft 14 in a bearing housing 41 by means of two radial bearings 42 and an axial bearing disk 43. Both the radial bearings 42 and the axial bearing disk 43 are supplied with lubricant via oil supply channels 44 of an oil connection 45.

[0047] In this example, a supercharging device 1, as illustrated in FIG. 1, has a multi-part construction. Here, a housing of the drive unit 20, a compressor housing 31 which is able to be arranged in the intake tract of the internal combustion engine, and a rotor bearing 40 which is provided between the housing of the drive unit 20 and the compressor housing 31 are arranged adjacent to one another with respect to the common supercharger axis 2 and are connected together in terms of assembly, wherein alternative arrangements and configurations of drive units and rotor bearings are also possible.

[0048] The supercharger rotor 10 constitutes a further structural unit of the supercharging device 1 and has at least the rotor shaft 14 and the compressor impeller 13, which compressor impeller is arranged in the compressor housing 31 and has an impeller blade arrangement 131. The compressor impeller 13 is arranged at one end of the rotor shaft 14 and is connected rotationally conjointly to the latter. The rotor shaft 14 extends in the direction of the supercharger axis 2 axially through the bearing housing 41 and is mounted in the axial and radial directions therein so as to be rotatable about its longitudinal axis, the rotor axis of rotation 15, wherein the rotor axis of rotation 15 lies on the supercharger axis 2, that is to say coincides therewith.

[0049] The compressor housing 31 has an air feed channel 36, which optionally has an intake pipe connector piece 37 for connection to the air intake system (not illustrated) of the internal combustion engine and runs in the direction of the supercharger axis 2 toward the axial end of the compressor impeller 13. Via this air feed channel 36, the air mass flow LM is drawn in from the air intake system by the compressor impeller 13 and conducted to the compressor wheel 13. The air feed channel 36 may also be part of an intake connector and thus not part of the compressor housing 31. The air feed channel 36 adjoins for example the compressor housing 31 and forms a compressor inlet 36a for conducting the air mass flow LM to the compressor impeller 13.

[0050] Furthermore, the compressor housing 31 generally has a ring-shaped channel which is arranged in ring-shaped fashion around the supercharger axis 2 and the compressor impeller 13 and which widens in spiral fashion away from the compressor impeller 13, and which is referred to as a spiral channel 32. Said spiral channel 32 has a gap opening which runs at least over a part of the inner circumference and which has a defined gap width, the so-called diffuser 35, which, directed in a radial direction away from the outer circumference of the compressor impeller 13, runs into the spiral channel 32, and through which the air mass flow LM flows away from the compressor impeller 13 at elevated pressure into the spiral channel 32.

[0051] The spiral channel 32 furthermore has a tangentially outwardly directed air discharge channel 33 with an optional manifold connector piece 34 for connection to an air manifold (not illustrated) of an internal combustion engine. Through the air discharge channel 33, the air mass flow LM is conducted at elevated pressure into the air manifold of the internal combustion engine.

[0052] The drive unit 20 is not shown in any more detail in FIG. 1 and may be embodied either as an exhaust-gas turbine or as an electromotive drive unit or as a mechanical coupling to the internal combustion engine, for example as an intermediate transmission, which is operatively connected to a rotating shaft of the internal combustion engine, making the supercharging device 1 into an exhaust-gas turbocharger in one case and into an electromotively operated supercharger, also referred to as an E booster or E compressor, or into a mechanical supercharger, in the other case. In the case of an exhaust-gas turbocharger, a turbine impeller (also referred to as turbine wheel) would for example be provided opposite the compressor wheel 13, which turbine impeller would likewise be arranged rotationally conjointly on the rotor shaft 14 and driven by an exhaust-gas mass flow.

[0053] Upstream of the compressor impeller 13 in the air mass flow LM, an iris diaphragm mechanism 50, in addition to or as an alternative to an overrun air recirculation valve (see FIG. 1), is arranged in the air feed channel 36 directly upstream of a compressor inlet 36a (also compressor entry) and/or forms at least one sub-region of the air feed channel 36 directly upstream of the compressor inlet 36a of the compressor housing 31. With regard to its functional principle, the iris diaphragm mechanism 50 is similar to an iris diaphragm in a camera. The iris diaphragm mechanism 50 is designed to at least partially close or open a diaphragm aperture such that a flow cross section for the air mass flow LM for admission into the compressor impeller 13 may be set variably at least over a partial region of the flow cross section. The iris diaphragm mechanism 50 allows a characteristic map shift for the compressor 30 in that it functions as a variable inlet throttle for the compressor wheel 13.

[0054] FIGS. 2A to 2C schematically show the iris diaphragm mechanism 50 of the supercharging device 1 in three different operating states. The iris diaphragm mechanism 50 is fixed on or in the compressor housing 31 and/or at least partially forms the latter. Alternatively, the iris diaphragm mechanism 50 is mounted on a separate, fixed housing for the iris diaphragm mechanism 50. Alternatively, the iris diaphragm mechanism 50 is mounted on or in a multi-part housing, wherein a part of the multi-part housing is formed by the compressor housing 31 and a part is formed by an additional, separate housing (element). The iris diaphragm mechanism 50 has a bearing ring 68 which is fixed in the air feed channel 36 so as to be concentric with the compressor inlet 36a, an adjusting ring 53 which is arranged so as to be concentric with the bearing ring and is rotatable about a common center and has an adjusting lever 53a, and a plurality of lamellae 52 which are mounted so as to be rotatable about a respective center of rotation in the bearing ring 68. Instead of the bearing ring 68, the compressor housing 31 or another housing (element) may also serve as a bearing. The lamellae 52 have for example a plate-like lamella main body and at least one pin-like actuating element (not visible here), which is designed for actuating the respective lamella 52, as integral or separate constituent parts of the respective lamella 52.

[0055] The lamellae 52 are also rotatable and/or displaceable on the adjusting ring 53, for example by means of the actuating element. In the example, the adjusting ring 53 has three grooves 54 (indicated in the figures) for the mounting/guiding of the lamellae 52. The lamellae 52 are synchronized and moved by means of the adjusting ring 53. The adjusting ring 53 is mounted for example on or in the housing. By actuation of the adjusting ring 53, the lamellae 52 are pivoted radially inward and narrow a diaphragm aperture 55 of the iris diaphragm mechanism 50. Here, FIG. 2A shows the diaphragm aperture 55 with a maximum opening width (open position), FIG. 2B shows the diaphragm aperture 55 with a reduced opening width, and FIG. 2C shows the diaphragm aperture 55 with a minimum opening width (closed position).

[0056] FIG. 3 shows, in a schematic side view, a compressor 30 according to an example embodiment of the invention, which replaces the compressor described on the basis of FIG. 1. The compressor 30 substantially corresponds to the compressor described on the basis of FIG. 1, with a separate throttle module 70 being provided.

[0057] The throttle module 70 is a modular structural unit which is formed separately from the compressor housing 31 of the compressor 30. The throttle module 70 includes a throttle module housing 71, in or on which an iris diaphragm mechanism 50, a coupling mechanism 65 and an actuator 56 are mounted or fixed. On the throttle module housing 71, there is formed a holder 72, to which the actuator 56 is fixed. The actuator 56 is mechanically coupled to the iris diaphragm mechanism 50 by means of the coupling mechanism 65 in order to actuate the iris diaphragm mechanism. The iris diaphragm mechanism 50 corresponds to the mechanism described above, wherein no bearing ring is provided in the example embodiment of FIG. 3. The iris diaphragm mechanism 50 is illustrated with the adjusting ring 53 and lamellae 52, which delimit the diaphragm aperture 55. The coupling mechanism 65 has a coupling rod 58 and a coupling pin 59. The coupling rod 58 is connected rotationally conjointly to an actuator shaft 57 of the actuator 56. The coupling rod 58 in turn is fixedly connected by way of a coupling pin 59 to the adjusting ring 53, for example the above-mentioned adjusting lever, for the actuation thereof. Rotation of the actuator shaft 57 causes the adjusting ring 53, and thus, as mentioned in the introduction, the lamellae 52, to be adjusted. The coupling mechanism 65 may also include further elements provided for coupling the actuator 56 to the adjusting ring 53, or may be of entirely different construction.

[0058] As mentioned, the throttle module 70 is designed or configured as a separate structural unit, which is flange-mounted onto the compressor housing 31. In particular, the throttle module housing 71 is fixedly connected to the compressor housing 31. The connection to the compressor housing 31 is implemented, for example, in the form of a screw connection.

[0059] In a flange region 73 between the compressor housing 31 and the throttle module housing 71, an optional groove 60 is formed in the compressor housing 31, which groove extends around the rotor axis of rotation 15 and in which groove a seal 61 is received, such that the throttle module 70 is sealingly connected to the compressor housing 31. In this way, the flow chamber in the compressor 30 is sealed off. The seal 61 may simultaneously function as a damper element. For example, the seal 61 is a rubber seal.

[0060] In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the coupling mechanism 65 and also at least part of the iris diaphragm mechanism 50 are exposed to the outside. This permits simple assembly of the throttle module and of the components thereof.

[0061] FIG. 4 shows, in a schematic side view, a compressor 30 having a throttle module 70 according to a further example embodiment. The compressor 30 has, substantially analogously to the above, identical or functionally identical components, wherein the throttle module 70 is of slightly different construction. By contrast to the previous example embodiment, the iris diaphragm mechanism 50 and the coupling mechanism 65 are arranged within the throttle module housing 71. In other words, the actuator shaft 57, the coupling rod 58, the coupling pin 59 and the iris diaphragm mechanism 50 are entirely integrated into the throttle module housing 71. The throttle module 70 is, analogously to the above, mechanically connected to the compressor housing 31.

[0062] In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the actuator 56 functions as a cover for the throttle module housing 71 and sealingly closes an opening 62 of the throttle module housing 71. For this purpose, the actuator 56 has a flat underside 66, by means of which it completely covers the opening 62. Additionally, the throttle module housing 71 has, surrounding the opening 62, a further groove 63 in which a further seal 64 is arranged. Alternatively, the further groove 63 and the further seal 64 are arranged in the actuator 56 itself.

[0063] FIG. 5 substantially corresponds to the example embodiment as per FIG. 4, wherein the throttle module 70 is connected by means of a damper element 67, which is formed as a seal with damping action, to the compressor housing 31 in the flange region 73. The damper element 67 is a seal which provides damping over a large area.

[0064] It should be pointed out at this juncture that the described compressor 30 does not necessarily have to be part of the supercharging device 1 described by way of example in FIG. 1. Rather, the supercharging device 1 may also be configured differently.

[0065] The present invention has been described herein in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described within the scope of the appended claims.