US6722129B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Crank case ventilation system
Assignee: Valeo Air Management UK Ltd
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Filing: 2002-12-19
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Granted: 2004-04-20
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Expires: 2022-12-19
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to a crank case ventilation system for an internal combustion engine that has a two-stage air charge boosting system. An air inlet system supplies the engine with air that may be pressurised by an upstream supercharger and a downstream turbocharger in series. A crank case evacuation system draws crank case gasses from a crank case and introduces said gasses into the air inlet system, through either a first conduit or a second conduit, depending on the setting of a pressure-regulated control valve. The first conduit is used to introduce said gasses upstream of the first boost stage when this stage is operational, and when the first boost stage is not operational, the second conduit is used to introduce said gasses downstream of the first boost stage and upstream of the second boost stage.
Inventors
- 👤 Mark Anderson Criddle
- 👤 William Marc Edward Brotherton
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 12:14
CPC Classifications
F; F01; F01M; F01M13/00; F01M13/02; F01M13/021; F01M13/022; F02; F02B; F02B33/00; F02B33/44; F02B33/446; F02B37/00; F02B37/04; F02B37/12; F02B37/18; F02B39/00; F02B39/02; F02B39/08; F02B39/10; F02M; F02M25/00; F02M25/06; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T10/00; Y02T10/10; Y02T10/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
175 words
A crank case ventilation system for an internal combustion engine, comprising an air inlet system for supplying the engine with air, an engine air charge pressure boosting system for boosting the pressure of said air supply, and a crank case evacuation system for drawing crank case gasses from a crank case and introducing said gasses into the air inlet system, wherein: a) the air charge boosting system has in series a first boost stage and a second boost stage, the first boost stage being upstream of the second boost stage; b) the crank case evacuation system includes a first conduit and a second conduit for introducing the crank case gasses into the air inlet system, the first conduit introducing said gasses upstream of the first boost stage, and the second conduit introducing said gasses downstream of the first boost stage and upstream of the second boost stage; and c) the crank case evacuation system includes flow control means for controlling the flow of crank case gasses in the first conduit and in the second conduit.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
175 words
A crank case ventilation system for an internal combustion engine, comprising an air inlet system for supplying the engine with air, an engine air charge pressure boosting system for boosting the pressure of said air supply, and a crank case evacuation system for drawing crank case gasses from a crank case and introducing said gasses into the air inlet system, wherein: a) the air charge boosting system has in series a first boost stage and a second boost stage, the first boost stage being upstream of the second boost stage; b) the crank case evacuation system includes a first conduit and a second conduit for introducing the crank case gasses into the air inlet system, the first conduit introducing said gasses upstream of the first boost stage, and the second conduit introducing said gasses downstream of the first boost stage and upstream of the second boost stage; and c) the crank case evacuation system includes flow control means for controlling the flow of crank case gasses in the first conduit and in the second conduit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 1 , in which the flow control means is arranged to direct the flow of crank case gasses to the first conduit when the first boost stage is boosting the pressure of the air supply, and to the second conduit when the first boost stage is not boosting the pressure of the air supply.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 1 , in which the flow control means is a control valve.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 3 , in which both the first conduit and the second conduit lead from the control valve to the air inlet system.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 4 , in which the crank case evacuation system includes a third conduit, said third conduit leading from the crank case to the control valve.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 3 , in which the control valve is an automatic valve.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 3 , in which the control valve is passively actuated by pressure differences within said conduits.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 3 , in which the control valve is a pressure regulated control valve.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 1 , in which the first boost stage is an electrically-driven supercharger, and the second boost stage is an exhaust gas driven turbocharger.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 9 , in which the supercharger includes a rotating impeller for compressing inlet air, the impeller being mounted on sealed ball type bearings.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 1 , in which the crank case evacuation system does not include any means for assisting the flow of crank case gasses in the first conduit or in the second conduit.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
The crank case ventilation system of claim 1 , comprising a mass air flow sensor for measuring the amount of air supplied to the engine, said sensor being provided upstream of the first boost stage.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
178 words
An internal combustion engine having a crank case ventilation system, said ventilation system comprising an air inlet system for supplying the engine with air, an engine air charge pressure boosting system for boosting the pressure of said air supply, and a crank case evacuation system for drawing crank case gasses from a crank case and introducing said gasses into the air inlet system, wherein: a) the air charge boosting system has in series a first boost stage and a second boost stage, the first boost stage being upstream of the second boost stage; b) the crank case evacuation system includes a first conduit and a second conduit for introducing the crank case gasses into the air inlet system, the first conduit introducing said gasses upstream of the first boost stage, and the second conduit introducing said gasses downstream of the first boost stage and upstream of the second boost stage; and c) the crank case evacuation system includes flow control means for controlling the flow of crank case gasses in the first conduit and in the second conduit.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
178 words
An internal combustion engine having a crank case ventilation system, said ventilation system comprising an air inlet system for supplying the engine with air, an engine air charge pressure boosting system for boosting the pressure of said air supply, and a crank case evacuation system for drawing crank case gasses from a crank case and introducing said gasses into the air inlet system, wherein: a) the air charge boosting system has in series a first boost stage and a second boost stage, the first boost stage being upstream of the second boost stage; b) the crank case evacuation system includes a first conduit and a second conduit for introducing the crank case gasses into the air inlet system, the first conduit introducing said gasses upstream of the first boost stage, and the second conduit introducing said gasses downstream of the first boost stage and upstream of the second boost stage; and c) the crank case evacuation system includes flow control means for controlling the flow of crank case gasses in the first conduit and in the second conduit.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
182 words
A method of ventilating a crank case of an internal combustion engine, the engine comprising a crank case, an air inlet system, an engine air charge pressure boosting system including a first boost stage and a second boost stage, and a crank case evacuation system linked to both the crank case and air inlet system, the crank case evacuation system including a flow control means, the method comprising the steps of: i) using the air inlet system to supply air to the engine; ii) boosting the pressure of said air supply using the first boost stage and the second boost stage; iii) using the crank case evacuation system to draw crank case gasses from the crank case and introduce said gasses into the air inlet system; and iv) using the flow control means to control the introduction of said gasses into the air inlet system at a plurality of locations in the air inlet system, including a first location upstream of the first boost stage, and a second location downstream of the first boost stage and upstream of the second boost stage.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
182 words
A method of ventilating a crank case of an internal combustion engine, the engine comprising a crank case, an air inlet system, an engine air charge pressure boosting system including a first boost stage and a second boost stage, and a crank case evacuation system linked to both the crank case and air inlet system, the crank case evacuation system including a flow control means, the method comprising the steps of: i) using the air inlet system to supply air to the engine; ii) boosting the pressure of said air supply using the first boost stage and the second boost stage; iii) using the crank case evacuation system to draw crank case gasses from the crank case and introduce said gasses into the air inlet system; and iv) using the flow control means to control the introduction of said gasses into the air inlet system at a plurality of locations in the air inlet system, including a first location upstream of the first boost stage, and a second location downstream of the first boost stage and upstream of the second boost stage.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 14 , in which the flow control means introduces the crank case gasses at the first location when the first boost stage is activated, and at the second location when the first boost stage is not activated.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-04-20 | 2007-10-20 | 2008-04-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-04-20 | 2011-10-20 | 2012-04-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-04-20 | 2015-10-20 | 2016-04-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |