Internal combustion engine with pressure responsive supercharger bypass

Claim 1

In combination with an internal combustion engine, the engine comprising a combustion chamber, induction means for forming a fluid fuel/air mixture, an induction conduit in fluid flow connection with the induction means and the combustion chamber, and means to exhaust fluid from the combustion chamber: 1) a first bypass conduit in fluid flow connection to a first upstream portion of the induction conduit; 2) a supercharging means having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being in fluid flow connection to the first bypass conduit; 3) drive means for the supercharging means, designed and adapted to directly and continuously utilize the energy provided by the internal combustion engine to power the supercharging means whereby the outlet pressure of the supercharger increases directly as engine power output increases; 4) a second bypass conduit in fluid flow connection with a downstream portion of the induction conduit and with the outlet from the supercharging means, whereby the supercharging means is in parallel fluid flow connection with an intermediate portion of the induction conduit between the first bypass conduit and the second bypass conduit; and 5) valve means in the intermediate portion of the induction conduit, the valve means comprising a valve seat rigidly connected to the interior of the induction conduit and a valve member moveably connected to the interior of the induction conduit and having a first pressure surface exposed to the inlet pressure of the supercharging means upstream of the valve means and a second pressure surface exposed to the pressure of the outlet from the supercharging means downstream of the valve means whereby at low outlet pressures the valve member is located out of contact with the valve seat and at high outlet pressures the valve member is urged toward and placed in contact with the valve seat so as to prevent direct flow through the induction conduit and to cause the passage of all fluid flow around the valve and through the supercharging means via the bypass conduits.