Exhaust gas turbine powered electric generating system

Claim 1

An electric power generating system for a motor vehicle comprising, an internal combustion engine having an intake passage connected to the intake valves of the engine and an exhaust passage connected to the exhaust valves of the engine, a throttle valve for controlling the amount of air and fuel supplied to the engine through said intake passage, an exhaust gas turbine having an inlet connected to said exhaust passage, said turbine inlet having turbine inlet valve means for controlling the effective turbine inlet area, said valve means causing the back pressure in said exhaust passage to increase as said inlet area is reduced, engine speed control means responsive to engine speed for varying the position of said throttle means to maintain engine speed at a predetermined value, an electric generator connected to the rotor of said turbine so as to be driven thereby, an electrical load on said vehicle connected to the output of said generator, means for sensing the output current of said generator, and means coupled to said current sensing means and to said turbine valve means for controlling said turbine inlet valve means as a function of the magnitude of the current sensed by said sensing means, said last named means operative to decrease said effective turbine inlet area as the output current of said generator increases.